Final Fantasy X: The Dream Within
by Vogue Star
Summary: Listen to my story...This may be our last chance. Follow Tidus as he relives the journey that changed his life forever and unveiled his and Spira's true destiny.ffx novelization. R&R!Chapter 21 up!
1. Zanarkand

_Disclaimer: I do not own FFX/FFX-2 or any of the characters associated with them._

Final Fantasy X: The Dream Within.

Chapter 1: Zanarkand.

Dusk.  
There was a tranquil stillness in that place as the sun cast down the last of its golden rays.

Only the passing breeze stirred the bitter silence, sweeping the heavy layers of dust over the dry ground. The calming sea glittering in all its splendour lapped the shore, the scarred shore that had yearned for the taste of water for so long.

Beautiful this place seemed with the vivid horizon watching over the barren land, highlighting the dull rock brightly with pallor light. "Light", a usual symbol of "_hope_", or even "_joy_"…but not in this place.

It was sorrow that resided here: an ancient sorrow that had prospered for centuries. Sorrow so dense that it seemed to engulf the air completely with its burdensome weight. So strong it was that none could stop it from drowning their hearts with its dejection. Escape from it was impossible. To face it was inevitable.

And stood in the very midst of it was an emblazoned sword.

It was mighty in stature, gleaning in a cerulean that shimmered akin to flowing water in the evening sun. Behind it, thrust dutifully into the arid ground was a mage's staff comprised of a single rod, azure in colour. In the shadows by its side lay a single ball: a blitzball, rather large in size. Its battered form and faded colours displayed the heavy usage it had endured over time.  
A long time it would seem.

In a cleft of the exposed rock to the side, sat a gathering of people. Seven there were in total, varying widely in race and age. In the very centre of their circular formation blazed a small fire ignited with dry roots.

Staring fixated at the crackling flames the memories of their journey together rekindled in their minds. Their hearts were heavy now that they had reached the goal of their long and perilous pilgrimage. There was no answer to the question in their minds, the jarring question that they all asked themselves relentlessly. There were no words either that would redeem the matter at hand…no words that would aid them.

The solace of their own thoughts were enough, enough to comfort their aching minds. But one member of the party in particular wasn't faring too well in the awkward stillness that surrounded them.

It was a young man sat upon the left-hand brink of the fire; without so much as a word he pushed himself slowly to his feet. The movement didn't stir any member of the group…except for the young lady by his side.

Her shining eyes, emerald and blue followed him until he passed out of sight behind her. The empathy in her stare, the bitter conflict she fought within herself was more than evident.

Yet the pain she felt inside melted in the placing of his warm gloved hand upon her shoulder. For a moment she forgot her sorrow; his comfort was all she needed, his protection.

The glorified feeling fled from her heart as his touch slipped away. Now it was _his_ time, his time to see it for himself…with his own eyes.

He approached the hill, climbing it he felt the burdensome weight bear down upon his shoulders, the weight he had felt for a long time. The sun blazed upon him showering his tanned face with an orange glow, shining into his azure eyes. And there it was before him. The sight he'd longed to behold.

Stretching out as far as the eye could see were the ruins of a lost city, a city that had laid in devastation for the best part of a thousand years: Zanarkand.

Littered in the murky sea below were the shattered foundations of the metropolis, the vast machina city. Fractured remnants of mighty buildings were scattered haphazardly in all directions with mountains of debris, all bearing a pallid white hue.

Standing there, witnessing the crumbling groundwork of the great city, he couldn't stop the wonderment from entering his heart. The distant pyreflies that danced in a techni-colour rainbow of streaming light seduced his searching eyes. This was a special place for him, a special moment for him.

Here in this place, it was the perfect time to start…his recollection.

_"Listen to my story.  
This may be…our last chance."_

Zanarkand was alive. The whole place was awash with a sea of neon lights as the burning sun set down on the horizon. A strange heavy tension flowed in the air around the great city. Tonight was an important night…for all. Tonight was the final of all finals. The Jecht Memorial Cup Tournament would draw to an almighty close with the meeting of the two surviving groups of players. For the winners it would be all round victory after defeating the remaining 15 teams from all corners of Zanarkand.

The citizens were besides themselves with excitement. This was to be night to remember…in more ways than one.

But none were more excited than the residents of A-East, the first district on Zanarkand's sea faring side. Bustling crowds of people all charged the streets frenziedly, the hype was unbelievable. They were all waiting for the one they called the "Star Player". The player that would certainly lead their team to victory once again.

"Hey everyone! He's coming!"

A small group of ardent well wishers rushed hurriedly to his abode. He was fashionably late in leaving, as usual. No sooner had he stepped foot out of the door a collective roar of delight filled the air. He waved to them from afar coaxing thrilled squeals from the girls in the crowd, almost swooning at the sight of him in the flesh.

Unable to contain themselves any longer a small pack of young boys at the front dashed ahead exuberantly, waylaying him before he'd even gotten off the path. "Tidus! Tidus!"

The young man laughed heartily at their rapturous screams: his fans they were always the same.

"Can you sign this?" one bounced up and down erratically, shoving a blitzball in his direction.

Tidus grinned cheerfully "No prob." taking hold of the ball and signed his name in thick black ink.

"Pleeeease!" the second chipped in standing on his tiptoes.

"Alrighty."

The third tugged on the back of the blitzer's leg "Me too!"

"Hey, take it easy!"

One down side to all this attention was the smothering he'd get; not that he was complaining. Being in the limelight was good. Well not _good_…_great_.  
Becoming the _Star Player_ of the Zanarkand Abes blitzball team was the best thing that ever happened to him. Could life get any better? He got all the adoring fans, all the-

"Can I have you autograph?" a leggy brunette approached him demurely from the midst of the group. Her rather revealing outfit wasn't leaving that much to the imagination…

The blitzer smirked "Of course!" …he got all the chicks too…

"Good luck tonight!" her friend hailed from behind.

"Nothin to worry about!" he boasted spinning the ball with ease on one finger before passing it back to her.

"Oh…if I score a goal" he affirmed philandering "I'll…uh do this" he came up with some strange hand gesture off the top of his head "That'll mean it was for you, ok?"

The young women giggled like two little schoolgirls, trying their best to conceal their flushing cheeks.

"What seat?" he inquired pushing his luck.

"East block in the front row!" the brunette exclaimed hiding her blush behind her ball.

"Fifth from the right!" her companion squealed. A chance with Tidus was not to be missed.

"Got it!" he nodded "…Well…" the clock was ticking; he wanted to _be_ on time for once "…Gotta go! Cheer for me!" he grinned addressing the crowd.

"Two- three…" before he could make a move the three boys from earlier raced before him and assembled in a line "TEACH US HOW TO BLITZ!"

"Er… I got a game to play."

"Then teach us after!" one begged, staring up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Maybe tonight…um…well…" he'd run out of excuses all too early.

"You can't tonight." A solemn voice spoke out behind him.

Tidus spun round startled to discover it belonged to a small boy no older than about eight. He was dressed in a peculiar fashion with his hood drawn low over his small shadowed face.

"I mean…tomorrow." the blitzer continued, turning back to the determined young fans.

"Promise?"

"Promise!"

No sooner had he spoken the three of them placed down their balls and made a circular movement with their hands creating a ball shape. The blitzball sign for _Victory_.

After bidding them all a glorious farewell, the blitzer could finally make his way to the infamous Zanarkand overpass, the road to the stadium. It was set high within the city, gigantic buildings shaped in all forms rose towering over its sides in accordance. Some even bore illustrious waterfalls that fell noisily, cascading down into the lower reservoirs below. There was water everywhere, at all times; some structures were even built upon it. For the people of Zanarkand, water was second nature. Anyone who couldn't swim in the city was indeed looked upon as strange.

It was oddly quiet as he strolled down the wide lane ahead of him. Usually the overpass was congested to the point of not being able to move. Tidus figured that all the people were down at the stadium queuing desperately to get the last seats available. He was far wrong either. Vivacious crowds of people flocked near the grand stadium entrance frantically as the final intense glow of the sun set upon the towering metropolis.

But before he could get there something caught his attention, stopping him dead in his tracks. He stood there motionless and stared up at the huge electronic billboard buzzing on the wall beside him.

It was flashing the advertisement for the Jecht Memorial Cup Tournament on dynamic scale with vivid colours. Plastered upon it was a giant sized picture of a middle-aged man; he looked overly proud and a little pretentious with his arms folded tightly over his chest. His hair was long and dark in colour much like the stubble about his face. And of course there was that red bandanna that curled over his forehead: Jecht.

The sight of the picture teased a small mocking laugh from the blitzer's lips as he shook his head. Examining it closely his mouth turned down at the corners. The raw hate welled heatedly in his veins; the same hate he always felt. The familiar disgusted dark glare consumed his ocean blue eyes.

"Hmph!" he punched the air and strolled past it thrusting his nose up.

Before long the stadium appeared before him, looming up ahead. A great dome it was, with a mighty arced entrance. At either side were gigantic statues of former players that had met their glory, carved out of solid stone. Truly the stadium in its sheer size was a wonderful sight to behold, a work of art structurally speaking. But Tidus had now to fight his way to it; the straggling fans had spotted him in his blitz gear a mile off. This wasn't going to be easy.

Just as he picked up the pace, the hails of good cheer filled his ears.

"Yo Mister Star Player, you show us those moves of yours tonight man!"

"Good luck Tidus!"

"You watch out for those Duggles, I hear they play dirty. You give their defence somethin to cry about!"

He could've stayed there all night listening to them praise him, but the sudden utterance on the loudspeaker urged him to press on…

_"I was in a coffee shop running away from home when I heard the news.  
Our hero Jecht, gone.  
Vanished into thin air!  
My dad must've been his biggest fan.  
I knew how sad he'd be.  
Heck, we all were that day.  
"Zanar" I says to myself "what are you thinking?"  
I went running straight back home, we sat up talking 'bout Jecht all night.  
My dad and I never talked so much-_

_Whoa…Didn't mean to reminisce folks!  
Anyway…Ten years later the Jecht Memorial Cup is today.  
The two teams that have won through to the finals are…of course: the Abes from A-East and the Duggles from C-South._

_I know there's a lot of people out there to see the star of the Abes!  
In just one year he's become the team's number one player!_

_He's Jecht's blood and the new hope of blitzball!  
What kind of super play will he show us today?  
Will we see his father's legendary shot?  
I don't think I'm the one excited here folks!"_

"Make way! Make way!" Tidus struggled to heave through the incessant barrage of fans hanging around to catch a glimpse of him "Coming through, sorry!"…A flurry of hands grappled toward him…"Hey! I'm gonna be late!"…They wouldn't give in…"Hey! Let go of me!" he yelled.

Eventually they sobered enough for him to squeeze through. Accepting a final wave, they watched in anticipation as he disappeared into the depths of the stadium.

It didn't take long for him to reach his allotted space within. Sitting there waiting in the cool water gave him time to relax before the almighty match. His heart began to race in his chest as he heard the grinding of the heavy machinery above, preparing to launch open, ready to reveal him to the crowd.

3-2-1…

His cerulean eyes sprung open and an almighty roar erupted as he brought himself to his feet. The audience present was unbelievably huge, a staggering amount of people could fit into the stadium no trouble and tonight was no exception. Clutching his blitzball in hand, he savoured the boundless screams of adulation as the plinth he stood on raised up to meet the crowd.

Above, the great structured roof unclasped its harnesses and began to stretch wide open to reveal the star-lit sky. In the midst of all this was a swelling current of light, the surfacing of the sphere pool. It throbbed momentarily before blasting outwards filling the whole stadium with eye-watering light. The crowd gasped with awe at the dramatic display, as the mechanical wings on the opening roof spread at either side allowing the newly created sphere pool to rise.

This was going to be some match, Tidus could feel it. The whole atmosphere was electric as the two teams assembled within, ready to blitzoff.

But the atmosphere outside was very different.

Something was coming…

The surrounding sea swirled uneasily as the disturbed waves swept in closer to the city, growing in both height and magnitude. The people observed rooted with horror as a mighty shadow loomed over their city, towering above even the tallest of skyscrapers.

It was a tidal wave, a tsunami forged from a solid wall of water. It would only be a matter of time before it pounced down upon them taking all in its path to a watery grave. But this was not so…

The swirling masses took the shape of a mighty orb that separated from the waves. From the distance it looked very similar to an actual sphere pool floating in mid air, but there weren't any players inside. There was something else, something much bigger.

The civilians stared in wonder at the strange "water ball" that was advancing all too rapidly. The orb suddenly shuddered violently whatever was inside began to quake… and then it began.

The earth beneath their feet began to shudder ever so softly; the "orb" was drawing something to it… water.

All the lower reservoirs instantly emptied as did even the smallest puddles underfoot. The water was being attracted to it like a magnet. Swelling together like some form of viscous glue the waters of the city enveloped the furthest outskirts. They raised to a terrific height, almost meeting the orb above. Then the most bizarre thing happened…the buildings…they were like- jelly. The orb was gratefully "inhaling" them in their new water clothed forms making them stretch from the ground like elastic.

The gob-smacked civilians stared unsure of what to do…some laughed, others gawked with wide eyes. It was all happening so…well…calmly. They'd never seen anything of this magnitude happen before. It was too calm to be a disaster…right?

But no matter how calm it was they couldn't escape the irony of the situation. The creature…or whatever it was, was using _their_ water to against them. The water they lived with, the sparkling water the built their wonderful city upon. The limitless water. It soon hit home…this thing wasn't going to stop…

Mass hysteria ensued as the panic began to set in. Screams of terror rang through the city as people fled for their lives in the opposite direction, scrabbling away from the oncoming carnage. The grand finale was yet to come…this was only the beginning, the calm before the storm.

However this wasn't the case in the stadium, the cheering crowds, the screaming fans and the blitzers were blissfully unaware of the chaos beginning to take place outside. The match was going well, and in the Abes' favour too. Suzam, the Abes' left defence, had scored an amazing goal with her advanced volley shot within a mere thirty seconds of the match starting. Tidus was desperate to follow her lead. This was to be his game, after all he was the "Star" of the show…and he had an ace up his sleeve.

Swooping down through the water he snatched the ball, and with a powerful drive of his legs leapt completely out above the sphere pool. The crowd gasped in wonder as he floated in mid air with the ball spinning in mid flight before him. He flipped himself over backward ready to perform an un-missable sphere shot. This would be one for the record books.

But as the blitzer descended, something strange caught his eye.

A spherical orb growing in the distance. Even from floating upside down he could see the strange object throbbing and pulsating aggressively.

"Huh?"

The orb quavered suddenly. Blasts of orange light shot from within aiming straight for the stadium. They smashed into the outer wall ripping it apart with a catastrophic boom. The whole building quaked violently as the tide whipped up beneath it. There was a shuddering smash as the sphere pool disintegrated into a thousand razor sharp shards, showering the terrified crowd.

Tidus flailed in the air frantically and began crashing down at an astonishing speed; it would only be a matter of time before he plummeted to his death.

With an amazing streak of luck one of the outer wings painfully broke his fall. He pawed desperately for a handhold, his grip slipping under the shiny metal surface.

Still the invading sphere-creature carried on regardless, pelting the stadium with explosive bolts of searing fire. The voracious waves thrashed into the building below tearing the walls down and churning the contents around in its own unwavering spin cycle. Water burst through the cracks in the entrance, water so strong that it tore into the solid stone statues like scissors through paper.

Everything left in the path of the onslaught was completely decimated, blowing to bits in flashes of light. The chronic explosions below shook the building to its foundations soon it would collapse completely. It was all too much for Tidus who was still cleaving onto the shuddering surface. A violent tremor from beneath was all it took for him to lose his grip and go speeding down into oblivion once more…

People poured frenziedly from the stadium entrance as the water blasted out behind them. It sprayed like bleeding wounds from the new gaping cracks in the outside walls saturating everything in its path. The billowing clouds of searing black smoke seeped from every orifice colouring the sky a charred grey.

"Ugh…" the blitzer groaned rubbing his aching head. Fortunately his luck had held out, he hadn't incurred too much damage from the fall. He staggered to his feet, terrified screams rang all around him; everything was in complete disarray. He slapped his hands over his ears, shaking his head to drown out the sound and the painful dizziness he felt within. It was no good; this wasn't a dream, it was real and it was happening right there and then.

He forced himself to stumble forward over the water-drenched rubble. His path littered in molten debris, drowned in blood stained water. But he soon learned that the destruction of the stadium wasn't the only surprise he was in for…

"Auron!" he gasped rushing out of the shattered archway "What are you _doing _here?"

The warrior was leaning casually against the jagged remains of a mighty pillar "I was waiting for you". As always his face was solemn, as was his manner.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Tidus asked startled, he'd already had enough of all this, what was going on? What the hell was Auron on about? He was _weird _at the best of times…

Without making any form of answer, the scarlet clad warrior pressed forward down the ruined overpass letting the dumbfounded Tidus follow him like a stray puppy.

To the blitzer's eyes the overpass was now a stark contrast to its former self. He looked on in disbelief as the straggling survivors fled for their lives, darting about in confusion fuelled havoc. The glorious buildings in the distance blazed like infernos now riddled with gaping explosion craters. Murky black plumes of smoke rose all around him filling his nostrils with a burning smell that made him sick to his stomach.

It would only be a matter of time before the whole city would be completely obliterated by the unknown menace. It'd already brought the city down to its knees.

Tidus scrambled about chaotically to keep up with Auron, the passing townsfolk jostled and bashed into him as they rushed past in all flurried directions.

Then it happened, the most bizarre thing.

There was a flash of white light followed by a droning blare. The sight that met the blitzer's eyes made him gawk in dumbfounded amazement.

Time was…frozen. Everything had stopped in the blink of an eye: the deafening noise, the screaming civilians, the chaos. Tidus stared in alarm at the people who were once running, now contorted and stuck in place.

"It begins."

The blitzer spun round startled. It was the same small boy from earlier with the purple hood pulled low, shadowing his small face.

"Wha-?"

The young boy gazed up at him, his small blue eyes penetrating the darkness beneath the violet fabric "Don't cry."

No sooner had he spoken, time restored itself, everything was in motion again. Tidus stared wide-eyed completely stunned "Huh?…" The young boy had completely vanished…"What the?" his head was throbbing, what the hell was going on?

Auron however was still pressing forwards, the frenzied hysteria didn't seem to bother him one bit; he continued on regardless.

"Hey wait!" Tidus broke into a sprint to catch up to the elusive man. He collapsed, leaning on his knees to get his breath back "Hey not _this_ way!"

Auron halted to peer over his dark glasses into the distance "Look."

Tidus straightened himself up, what met his gaze made him stagger backward in alarm. Before him the watery orb floated amidst the rising smoke. Within it he could make out a huge grey shape, it was some kind of huge fiend, some kind of gigantic monster.

"We call it "Sin." Auron confirmed gravely.

"Sin?"

The blitzer's question couldn't be answered as the orb swelled and shook yet again. A strange lance shaped object shot from within it and imbedded itself high into the wall of the nearest building. It wriggled suddenly: it wasn't a lance after all. It was a fiend fully equipped with neon tentacles that writhed about it viciously. The coned structure that formed its body began to…disintegrate…well it looked that way to Tidus' eyes at least.

Small scaly pods sprayed from it, showering the ground ahead of them. The blitzer soon discovered their real identity. The pods opened with squealing cracks revealing strange grey-silver creatures with flickering wings. They launched at the blitzer, slashing and nipping with their great taloned claws: Sinscales.

Tidus poorly attempted to shoo them away with his flailing arms. But to no avail, they all struck at different times proving too much for the blitzer. He had little experience with fiends of any sort; this was the first time he'd come face to face with one this close. They overpowered him forcing him to totter over clumsily onto his back.

"Take it" the warrior held an object before the blitzer's eyes.

It was a broad sword, deep crimson in colour with a long curving tip. Tidus took hold of the hilt; the cumbersome weight bore straight down through his arm. So much so, that he was unable to keep the sword aloft for long.

"A gift from Jecht" Auron reached back and brought his own gigantic sword forth, clasping it over his shoulder

"My _old_ _man_?"

The creatures pounced toward him again; blood thirsty and filled with rage. The blitzer swung the sword aimlessly with both hands striving desperately to drive them away. Yet the sheer weight of the sword added a little too much momentum than he was planning and threw him onto his back yet again.

Auron looked down upon him gravely "I hope you know how to use it" He lunged forward swinging his mighty shining sword toward the nearest creature, its body jarred and burst asunder.

"These ones don't matter! We cut through!" he ordered dodging the perilous blows being aimed at him.

Tidus straightened himself out; one of the creatures pounced toward him, its wings flashing ready to shoot the deadly spines upon them. The blitzer reeled as another swung onto him from behind, burying its claws into the flesh on his leg. He screamed out loud and swung around driving the blade into the creature's neck. It shrieked momentarily before bursting into a cloud of pyreflies.

Fortunately for the blitzer Auron had done most of the work and a path through the beasts was now clear. Tidus scrabbled after the warrior as he raced off yet again further onto the disintegrating overpass.

Yet more of the fiends lay in wait, they'd grown in number, making it literally impossible for the pair to strike them all down.

"Don't bother going after all of them! Cut the one's that matter and run!" Auron hacked his way through the beasts with ease. Driving the katana like blade through the fiends in his path. Tidus hurriedly followed suit, squeezing through the vacant spaces in-between and taking down those in his way.

The pair of them continued dashing on up ahead, still pressing forwards over the bent and buckled path as the orb loomed in the distance. Suddenly there was a tremendous crash; it shook the whole surface beneath Tidus' feet so violently he struggled to stay upright. It was another lance creature, a Sinspawn Ammes; this time it was ready to fight and had imbedded itself deep into the surface of the overpass, sending shock wave cracks in all directions.

Without a second thought Auron dashed toward it brandishing his blade with venomous wrath. Tidus however hesitated, he wanted answers and he wanted them now. What on earth was going on? Perhaps now wasn't the ideal time to be asking…he figured; there was knife work that needed doing. He fled to the warrior, letting his spirit flood with upheaval.

Sure enough it was there before them, the lance like fiend stretching to at least twenty feet high. Its gigantic neon tentacles thrashed and whipped violently, desperately searching for a victim. At its base were four spine covered Sinscales, the same as before: this wasn't going to be easy.

"Get outta my town!" Tidus yelled gritting his teeth. Somehow he'd gotten the taste for battle.

"Some can't wait to die!" Auron stepped forward thrusting his weapon deep within the ground.

The blitzer watched in amazement as the Sinscales ruptured and blasted apart in bright flashes of orange light. Auron's Bushido skills, he'd never seen them before…

Now only the lance fiend was left to deal with. Auron's attack had weakened it some, but the magic skills it possessed were unbelievably powerful, allowing it to suck the vitality completely out of the both of them. After what seemed like an endless battle the fiend eventually succumbed to their constant strikes and shut down.

Still as soon as it ceased to pose a treat Auron rushed off once more. Tidus followed raggedly, this was just getting weirder and weirder, just what exactly was happening?

"What are _you_ laughing at old man?" he murmured as they passed by the same billboard as before. He could just imagine Jecht stood there revelling in the chaos. "Auron, let's get outta here!"

"We're expected."

"Huh?" Tidus' heart sank as the warrior disappeared off again "Gimme a break man!"

When he reached the Auron's position, it happened yet again like a recurring nightmare: pods containing Sinscales sprayed over the battered ground. A vast array shot through the air sticking themselves all over the surrounding walkway, in front and behind. Tidus gazed in horror as the masses awoke appearing more enraged than ever. Hundreds of them, spanning as far as the eye could see.  
Escape was impossible.

The first of the batch hatched and leapt toward the pair, they were cut down in an instant, only to be replaced again and again and again.

"Hmph, this could be bad…" Auron scanned their surroundings like a hawk. His eyes fixed onto a stray gas tank that was draped over the side of the road. It must've fallen there in the ensuing commotion. It was dangling by a straggled amount of support cables, if they were cut it would surely fall…

"That!" the warrior thrust his sword in its direction "Knock it down!"

"_What_?" Tidus knew that gas equalled explosions, especially if it ignited on the sparks from the cut wires.

"Trust me you'll see."

Hesitantly the blitzer obeyed. He dodged in-between the incoming spines and let his blade fall down upon the wires. Instantly there was a frantic buzz of electricity, as they burst open. The tank tottered and swayed momentarily before it went plummeting down below. A dull rumble ensued and the blitzer backed away unsure.

Suddenly there was a catastrophic boom that echoed beneath them, shaking the whole structure. The explosion below had ruptured the foundations of a mighty building by their side.

In a flash the bursted wall of the skyscraper toppled before them in a rush of blazing flames.

"WHOA!" Tidus struggled to keep his balance as the burning wall crushed the Sinscales and the onward path. Now the only way forward was across the sinking wall that was subsequently taking a huge chunk of the overpass down with it. Whereas the other side was rising, _Sin _was already inhaling it.

"Go!" Auron commanded.

Tidus shielded his eyes from the intense flames; with the adrenaline pumping mercilessly in his veins he dashed frantically for his life, leaping up as high as his legs could force him. His hands caught hold of the very tip of the jagged surface of the rising overpass; he was now dangling upon the very brink.

Above him the force of this "Sin" was pulling in the whole city. The broken domed roofs of buildings and all the loose debris was being consumed into the huge vacuum that "it" was creating.

Next on the menu was the overpass. It shuddered violently as it was ripped up from its supports, still with the struggling blitzer attached to it. Buckling, the platform bent up vertically, making the fight to find a grip even harder.

"Auron!" He yelled, as the orb-covered creature pulled them him in nearer. "Auron!"

The warrior however ignored his cries and stared deeply up toward the oncoming vacuum. The watery sphere had opened out, revealing a gaping vortex that was surrounded by a swirling mass of dense tissue.

"You are sure?" he inquired looking up as the bright light within it advanced down upon them.

He turned back to the blitzer gravely and reaching down he ripped him up by the collar "This is it." he said as the force of Sin wrenched aggressively on Tidus, lifting him into the air "This is your story."

Tidus shrivelled away, the searing light pierced through his eyes almost unbearably.

Auron kept his grip upon the blitzer as its touch began to engulf them "It all begins here."

Tidus let out a scream as it moved in surrounding him, drowning out all the sound.  
Then everything was still.  
Everything went dark.

To be continued…

(_AN:_ _Hi there! Tell me what you think of my story. Review me please!)_

_Vogue Star_


	2. The Submerged Ruins

A few thank-yous… 

_**Deathray:** Thanks so much, I'm glad u like my story!  
**Griselda Banks:** Wow! What can I say?. U gave me the longest review ever! I know how you feel about tiny errors such as mine because I have an A Level in English language and Literature, so English should be my strongest point…But thank you for saying this was the BEST first chapter novelisation you've ever read!  
**Ashley125:**Woohoo, I'm back! So sorry I took so long to get back here! I'm so thrilled you like my new story! Thank you!  
And thanks to everyone else I forgot!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ffx/ffx-2 or any of the characters in the games._

Chapter 2: The Submerged Ruins

"Hey!…HEY!"

Tidus instantly recognised the husky voice calling out to him in the dark "My…old man?"

Everything was hazy like a dream, the blitzer found himself floating high up in an eerie atmosphere. The whole place, it looked like Zanarkand…but everything was distorted and out of focus. Below him in the distance he could see his father stood prone with arms folded; he almost looked like he was waiting for him. Tidus attempted to move, but the dense air would only allow him to swim down to the figure at a slow pace.

No sooner had he reached the platform, the figure of his father disappeared in a flash before his eyes and was replaced with…himself. Not the image of himself _now_. The image of himself ten years earlier, when he was seven.

_"I thought about a lot of things.  
Like where I was, what I'd got myself into._

_I started to feel light-headed…and then sleepy._

_I think I had a dream.  
A dream of being alone._

_I wanted someone, anyone beside me, so I didn't have to feel alone anymore."_

A twittering birdcall sounded in his ear. The blitzer's eyes sprung open. His head reeled as he endeavoured to focus on his new surroundings, which were thick with a heavy white fog.

The touch of cold hard stone met his shivering body. He was led on some kind of slab with his feet dangling down into the stagnant water below. It was almost like he was on some kind of…wreckage.

He was stuck in the midst of a ruined-…well he didn't quite know what the place was _or_ used to be. But it _wasn't_ Zanarkand that was for sure.

"Is anybody there?" he called out; the small water bird looked at him blankly with its beady eyes and commenced preening its dark feathers.

"Auron!"

The only reply was his own echo.

"HEEEEEYYY!"

Still no response. Auron wasn't there, neither was anyone else.

He was alone.

The blitzer watched as the small bird took flight before him. It swooped up into the mist filled air, joining a flock above him. Squinting, he observed as they flew in formation into the distant sky. And then he saw it, the domed roof of a dilapidated gothic building. The birds hovered around its withered peak, risking to linger in the path of the incoming lightning. The storm drenched sky coloured deep purple flashed overhead through the dense black cloud cover.

The cold was beginning to draw in. Despite its weather worn look the building looked all too appealing for the blitzer, so he decided to make it his goal. Lowering himself slowly, he allowed the freezing water to envelop him, sending shivers down his spine.

He could now make out his close surroundings clearly. All around him were the long forgotten ruins of a great building. The place was littered with wrecked staircases leading out of the water to no-where, all festering with mildew and moss. Under the water also, he could make out the mighty pillars on which the great structure was once supported.  
Whatever had happened to this place had happened a long time ago.

He began to haul his body sluggishly through the harsh biting water. The silent stillness about him was extremely unnerving, the only sound being the howling wind that passed whistling through the decaying recesses of the wreckage. The way through the shattered rubble was riddled with dead ends proving it rather difficult for the blitzer to make any form of great progress.

Zanarkand was the only thing he could think about…if he could find a way back home…he'd be ok…well that's what he figured at the time.

He wasn't used to all the quiet: the silence. The hustle and bustle of daily life in Zanarkand was chaotic, noisy…that was the thing he loved about life there…

He just had to get home…

Thankfully he found the way that led up to the domed building: a great crumbling stairway. Approaching it he could see that the walls on either side had been completely obliterated, only the archway at the top had survived.

It took a while to heave his aching limbs through the water, but he finally reached his destination. Wringing the rancid water from his hair, he advanced up the stairs slowly. By the way it was eroded it looked like the archway had been exposed to the elements for some time. The surviving stonework that surrounded was covered in strange markings and glyphs, all set out in complex coloured patterns that had faded over time.

It seemed to the blitzer that this place had been pretty important in its prime. Which begged the question…what had happened to it? He wondered to himself, had _Sin_ done this?

Pushing the thought from his mind, he pressed onward through the arch, passing by the struggling plant life that resided there in every crevasse. Set before him on the other side were a series of mossy gnarled pathways, most of which had given way and collapsed over time into the deep water below. The only sensible way onward was a long stretching path that spanned the extent of the water.

Cautiously he crept along it, the surface underfoot was unbelievably slippy and he didn't fancy falling into the rancid water below. The blitzer had only got half way across when something below seemed to attract his attention. He shunted to a halt and peered down curiously through the water.

Beneath him were the strange remains of a circular room, entombed within the watery grave. In it were crumbling statues of…well they looked like _people_, but without the heads he couldn't tell. There were also several huge doorways leading off in different directions, he wondered what this place had been in ancient times, it was bizarre to say the least.

Then it flashed past; he saw it flicker by in the corner of his eye. Whatever it was it hid behind one of the statues; Tidus watched curiously as the bubbles rose out of the water…

Suddenly it shot out from its hiding place like a bullet from a gun, aiming a direct hit for the far wall. It smashed into it with an astonishing crash; he could feel the dull reverberations shuddering underfoot. The blitzer stared in disbelief as the hairline crack appeared beneath his feet.

"WHOA!" the path disappeared from under him and he was sent crashing down into the water with a gigantic splash.

He resurfaced spitting the putrid liquid from his mouth. Suddenly a yellow shape leapt out before him and dived back down over the other side. Another followed it and another, spraying water everywhere, encircling him in a dramatic display.

They were gonna pay for this.

He grabbed hold of his sword and pursued them down deep into the cold abyss. Little did the blitzer know that the vicious creatures waiting there were "Sahagins" a type of deadly marine fiend. They were known widely for their extraordinary "talents" underwater, being a fiend that injects a lethal venom into the bloodstream of its victim. Once injected the venom attacks the prey's vital organs transforming them into a toxic soup, perfect for the Sahagin to suck out… nice.

One plunged toward him. It tried desperately to grapple with his arm, the serrated fangs within its red mouth snapping viciously. Tidus fought it off with a minor struggle, managing to catch its scaly neck with the tip of his sword. The scarlet blood gushed from the wound as the creature cowered away hesitantly. The injury however seemed to egg the other two on, making them leer voraciously brandishing their razor sharp fangs.

So _this_ was their little plan. Tidus was having none of it.

He ducked downwards rapidly, dodging the onslaught as the two raced for him in a pincer formation. No sooner had they passed over him he let his sword pass through one of them, splitting it in two with a single clean cut. The water stained a dark ruby red as the crimson sprayed resolutely from its body.

Tidus had no time to deal with the other…he'd overlooked one important point. All fiends have a food chain, and if he was at the bottom, who was at the top? The glowering rumble behind him warned that he was about to find out.

He spun around to catch sight of a bunch of shining eyes glaring at him from a dark recess in the wall. The rocks at either side shuddered as something approached from within, something huge. The surviving Sahagin belted away, but it was too late…

In a flash the oncoming creature darted from the hole, bursting the obstructing rocks asunder with its colossal weight. The scale of the launch was so ferocious that it sent titanic shockwaves through the water, throwing Tidus on an unplanned tumbling collision course.

The blitzer recovered just in time to see the almighty creature feasting upon the remaining Sahagin. His curiosity had yet again gotten the better of him; he'd allowed himself to be spotted.

The creature let the Sahagin drop from its gigantic beak-like jaws and aimed an almighty head on charge toward the blitzer. It brandished its catastrophic fins, which looked more like muscular arms than anything each equipped with vice like claws: the Geosgaeno.

Tidus slipped out of the way just in time as it advanced upon him. He raised his sword as he passed under its mighty form and slashed toward the great chest cavity it bore. For all the damage he inflicted he might've been better attacking a solid piece of rock.

Quickly he sped away, but the lumbering creature couldn't stop. It crashed headfirst into the far wall. The impact was so violent that the impending stonework above began to tumble hazardously in great chunks into the water below.

This only enraged the creature further; it was practically fuming when it turned to him again. Another charge was on the cards and this time it wouldn't miss.

Tidus sped to the surface searching frantically for a safe means of escape…there was one. Behind him was a small hole in the outer wall, formerly a doorway. It was far too small for the creature, but that wouldn't stop it trying…

The blitzer turned and sped full pelt toward it. He could hear the creature howl with rage as it made chase, in a matter of seconds it was at his heels. Frenziedly he scrambled through the hole as the fiend let its mouth pass over his legs, sucking like a vacuum. Before it could swallow, its body smashed into the sides of the doorframe reversing the effect, throwing Tidus in.

The hole shuddered sending rocks from above crashing down over it. Now the water and the creature were blocked out, but that meant Tidus was trapped inside too. He rubbed his aching head, he'd cracked it full whack with the rough landing inside.

He seemed to be in the remainder of a corridor of some sort, lucky for Tidus there was a dilapidated staircase that led out of the water and into…well somewhere else he supposed. Anywhere was better than where he was now, in this dank dripping hole.

"_I had made it out of the frying pan and into the freezer.  
I thought I was gonna die in this place."_

Hauling himself up he pressed onward, with the horrid smell of fusty mould filling his nostrils. In a short while he found himself at another doorway, partially covered in rubble. Heaving the rocks to one side he squeezed into the room.

To his surprise it was larger than he'd expected with a huge circular floor. It all looked…well…ceremonial or something like that, with withered bouquets of flowers everywhere in huge warped vases. In the very centre on the floor were the remains of a small fire. The frozen embers weren't damp surprisingly and could be re-lit.

But this place…it creeped him out to say the least.

"Cold…" he shivered blowing into his steaming breath into his gloved hands "Need fire…"

Kneeling, he tried his best to get a spark going with the remains of the tinder stones. It wasn't too long before he got a small flame going, and pretty soon it roared into a nice sized fire. In the new light he peered around sheepishly hoping he wouldn't set eyes on the skeletal remains of the person who lit the fire previously. Thankfully he didn't, but the creepy statue at the head of the room more than made up for it, with its demon eyes that shone out at him.

He sat himself down facing away from it, the weird shadows being cast by the fire were bad enough, without that thing glaring at him in the dim light.

"I need food!" he complained aloud as his stomach began to give off the tell tale rumblings that it always did. The blazing fire was really kicking out some heat and despite the fact that he was famished, Tidus couldn't stop his sleepy eyelids from slipping shut.

He began to dream hazily of his memories of Zanarkand. He dreamt of his last meeting with Auron, three months earlier…and what had happened that day…

"What do _you_ want?" Tidus flung the door open to find the warrior stood solemnly on his doorstep.

The blitzer stormed off into the house and stood facing the other way. Now was a bad time, he couldn't be bothered with anyone…that's why he missed the Abe's match on purpose…that why he stayed at home…

"It was a bad call." Auron stated gravely as he entered the room "Your team lost because of you."

"You came to say _that_?" he fumed not wanting to look Auron in the eye.

"It's been…ten years…"

Tidus spun around startled, Auron knew.

"I thought you'd be crying."

A look of distaste passed over the blitzer's face "Who? _Me_?"

"You cried." the same boy appeared before him, the same boy with the purple hood…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tidus' eyes sprung open, he didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but it sure was getting cold again. He hugged his knees tightly. But the cold was the least of his worries, the fire it was almost out!

"Hey, wait! Wait! Don't go out on me!" He cried blowing in vain on the lingering sparks. "Just hold on. I'll get more wood!" He attempted to rise in search for something to burn, but a strange noise from above alerted him to his senses. He was being watched…

A low growl echoed from overhead, the blitzer waited in anticipation as a black shape loomed in the shadows. Two twinkling lights shone out of the dark to greet him, two hungry eyes…  
In a flash the mystery creature revealed itself, sending him flying and yet again Tidus found himself in the heat of battle.

"Gimme a break!" he whined as the four legged Klikk fiend thrashed down upon him with its scimitar-like blades.

The blitzer dodged and weaved the ferocious attacks, striking when he felt the opportunity was there. Still, the fiend wouldn't relent. Tidus panted heavily, when was this thing gonna die?

A foreboding rumble filled the room; it was coming from one of the sealed doors. Tidus' heart sank; he could just imagine hundreds of the things clawing at the other side ready to eat him.

There was a sudden flash of blinding light as the door burst off its hinges in an unmistakable explosion. Tidus shielded his eyes with his arm. Nothing could've prepared him for what he saw when the dust settled.

A squad of men flooded into the room and stood halted with rifles poised. They were all clad in strange-coloured garb, with heavy goggles over their eyes. There seemed to be about five of them in total, one of which was a young girl clad in a skin-tight diving suit coloured red and cream. She began to approach the blitzer slowly, rolling her fist in her hand. Tidus felt a pang of anxiety strike a chord in him as he heard the knuckles crack. What was she planning to do? She wasn't armed…

Halting swiftly by his side she leaned toward the fiend telling it to "come on" with her hand in order to provoke it. It worked a treat, winding the creature up like a spring. It was so mad it looked just about ready to burst.

"You on my side?" Tidus exclaimed, "Cool!"

The young girl didn't answer nor give him the chance to attack the fiend at all. She simply reached inside her pocket and hurled a round object in its direction. As soon as it hit, the creature burst into flames with a terrific boom, and it was over, as quick as that.

Hand grenades…he hadn't seen them in action until now…

Tidus watched her curiously as she removed the crimson goggles from her eyes to get a better look. She gazed at him blankly with her emerald stare.

"Phew!" he laughed letting his shoulders and his guard down "That was close!"

The tall men by her side advanced, she watched unmoving as they approached the blitzer suspiciously; the bayonets attached to their rifles looked altogether formidable. One of the gang suddenly lunged forward and grasped hold of the blitzer's flaxen hair.

"Hey lemme go!" Tidus yelled in surprise, he wasn't quite expecting _that_ move.

"Fryd ec drec?" The man quizzed his companions bluntly, ragging the blitzer's head back to examine him.

Another honed in and sniffed the blitzer "Y _fiend_ eh risyh teckieca!"

"Oac, ed ec cu!" the third added, taking a long hard look at Tidus through his dark lenses.

The blitzer froze as he heard the unmistakable ringing of a knife being drawn.

"Fa gemm ed?" the first held the curved blade closely to his neck. Tidus gulped as he felt the cold steel press closely against his skin. Just what the hell was going on? What had he got himself into this time?

"Fyed!" The female interrupted "Fryd ev ed ec y risyh?"

"Drao yna ymm dra cysa eh taydr." The man retorted waving the knife millimetres from Tidus' face.

"E vunpet ed." she replied ardently "Fa pnehk ed fedr ic."

The man hesitated, releasing Tidus from his clutches and the three of the backed away. The blitzer sensed that there was more, maybe worse in store for him as the young girl approached quickly, but the look on her face would've said otherwise.

To his complete surprise she pushed herself flat up against him and whispered a single word in his ear…

"Cunno."

Before he knew what he was doing he was already on the floor, completely paralysed. She'd whacked him hard with something, some kind of sedative. Everything went hazy as he lay there and then the darkness took over…

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The calming ocean waves sounded in his ears as he came around. He shook the drunken dizziness from his head and hauled himself to his feet. Glancing around he could now see that he was aboard some kind of ship. It was comprised completely of metal in a dull grey- brown colour.

Sure it was good to be out in the open on the deck, but he still wasn't safe from danger, he thought. All he wanted was to go home to Zanarkand. If these guys could take him there then maybe this situation was good after all. One of his captors who was keeping guard, caught sight of the blitzer's sudden awakening

"Ced, lybdeja!" He lunged forward and jabbed Tidus in the arm with his bayonet.

The blitzer crashed backward "Hey! That hurts!" he growled getting angry, just what on earth did they want with him?

The man snarled aiming for another blow "Hu sujehk! Rayn?"

"Whoa…ok…" by the look in his eyes this guy wasn't messing around and Tidus thought it best to obey…for now.

There was a sudden jarring mechanical whirr; Tidus looked over to see the entrance to the ship opening gradually. The girl from before re-appeared along with another man. His chest and arms were covered in tattoos looking much like blue flames that were consuming the skin. His head was adorned with a tight blonde mohawk that went well with his metallic grey goggles. There was no doubt about it; this guy was the boss.

"Caynlr res." he ordered with a flap of his hand.

The girl obeyed, pulling Tidus up to his feet, making sure his arm was twisted securely behind his back. Then to the blitzer's amazement the leader began wiggling his arms in the form of some kind of doggy-paddle. It was accompanied by a series of low grunts. He couldn't understand their language, so how could he understand grunts?

"Right. Whatever…"

"Tu oui hud cbayg?" still the leader flapped his hands passionately, showing the blitzer a pair of red goggles.

Tidus was growing overly tired with the charade "I said I don't understand!"

"Ehcumahla!" One of the others thrust his rifle to the blitzer's face. They didn't have o understand him to get the tone of voice he was delivering.

"Fyed!" The young girl intervened in a swift attempt to halt the oncoming violence "He said you can stay if you make yourself useful."

"You! You understand me?" He exclaimed spinning around startled.

A sharp elbow to the shoulder reprimanded the blitzer back to his position.

"Alright! I'll work!" he grumbled.

The others backed off understanding his agreement.

"We found some ancient ruins right beneath us." the young girl explained reattaching her goggles "It's not active now but there should still be some power left. We're gonna go down there and activate it…and then we should be able to salvage the _big prize_!"

"Uh huh." no matter how enthusiastic she sounded Tidus still wasn't thrilled at the idea. Ancient ruins weren't one of his favourite things. He'd seen enough of them in the past few hours to last him a lifetime.

"Kad du fung essateydamo!" the leader took note of Tidus' lack of enthusiasm with a bitter glare.

Tidus scowled at him, could things get any worse?

"Okay!" the girl interrupted exuberantly "Let's get to work!"

"Roger!" the blitzer leapt on the railing and dived straight in, he'd show _them_ who could swim.

Sure enough, there beneath them were yet more ruins. Following the direction of the twisted anchor chain, Tidus plunged down into the depths with the young girl following closely behind.

Pretty soon they reached the outer wall of some strange rounded building. It had roofed corridors jutting out off into various directions. Lucky for them there were enough holes in the crumbling stonework big enough for them to squeeze through.

Inside it was dank and dark, Tidus had to follow a flurry of hand signals in order to understand what to do. Apparently the goal of the whole operation was to restore the power in the ruins so the outer lights could illuminate the sea floor. Easier said than done…

The place was infested with blood sucking piranha. Thankfully the young girl kept them at bay with a barrage of hand-grenade fire, while Tidus rectified the power problem.

Before him was a huge spiralling light unit. He didn't understand half of the strange controls, and the girl couldn't help him, she was busy on piranha duty.

"_Just great._" he thought, letting his fist bash down upon it.

The machine began to vibrate suddenly, Tidus backed off alarmed thinking he'd broken the damned thing. He watched with wide eyes as the device relaxed and lit up brightly with green fluorescent light…he'd cracked it, the thing was working.

"_Alright!_" he punched the air exuberantly, but the nervous tapping on his shoulder made him realise that all wasn't well fiend wise…

He flipped over to set eyes upon the largest squid he'd ever encountered: Tros. He'd seen them tonnes of times blubbering in the seas of Zanarkand, but never this big. Its bulbous body towered over the pair of them, heaving and swelling. The tell-tale bubbles began to pop slowly from its tight mouth…it was going to squirt.

Tidus flung the girl away in the opposite direction as the torrential gush of jet-black ink gargled its way toward them. The girl flew backward toppling over and over; she recovered shaking her head vigorously. Reaching in her wet suit she took hold of another grenade. With a swinging toss, it powered its way toward the squid, whirling in the water.

Hitting the fiend square in the face, it exploded with a catastrophic boom, sending the girl flying backwards yet again. Amidst the commotion Tidus fled towards her, thankfully she was alright. Both wondered if the case would be different for the squid…

But as the water subsided they soon learned it wasn't.

Staring, pulsating with wrath in its own ink the squid writhed viciously. The grenade had only contributed more to its temper, which was now at boiling point. With its flailing jaws it plunged for them scrambling and tossing in the water.

Tidus charged like a bull, aiming a direct swing for the wide mouth. The sword connected with a clang, the blitzer was sure he'd inflicted a certain degree of damage…

He tugged on the hilt. It was stuck.

To his complete amazement the sword had jammed itself in the creatures mouth, holding it wide open. The squid wiggled relentlessly, squirming to free its jaws. Looking into its abyss of a throat an idea struck the blitzer. If it couldn't be harmed from the outside, what was stopping it being harmed from the inside?

He bid the girl to throw another grenade, this time deep inside the monster. Once it was inside Tidus ripped the sword from the mouth as fast as he could. The pair of them sped off rapidly through the hole in the fence just as the creature was exploding into a pile of mush. A close call for both of them, way too close for Tidus.

Now they were outside he could see what all the fuss was about. Down below them, nestled on the newly lit ocean floor was a great structure, piled over with rubble. It looked to him like some kind of weird ship. The others from the boat were swimming around it excitedly; at least someone's happy, he thought.

He followed as they proceeded up toward their ship on the surface; Tidus was altogether relieved to be heading back, despite the fact he didn't understand them _or_ their strange custom.

"Fa vuiht dra _airship_!" the blitzer heard one of them proclaim loudly as he heaved himself back on board.

"Dra naluntc fana nekrd."

Tidus shook the water from his hair and pursued them closely trying to string together parts of their conversation.

"Huf, ruf du tnyk ed ib…"

The blitzer had got one foot in the doorway before one turned swiftly to face him. "Oui, uidceta! he whacked the Tidus in the shoulder forcing him out.

"Hey! I helped out didn't I?"

The man ignored him and let the door slam in the blitzer's face.

"Hmph!" Tidus scoffed marching back to where he was kept previously. This was just great, he helped them out and they didn't care. It sucked here…

He lay on his side, listening to the constant growl of his stomach "Uhh, hungry…" he hadn't eaten in ages.

A quick blow to the shoulder knocked him to his senses and he sat up with a start. It was the young girl; she had in her hands a small metal tray piled high with food. Reaching down she slid it before him.

"Whoa! Right on!" he didn't waste a moment in stuffing his face absolutely full. He was so famished that he even forgot to chew.

The young girl observed him in amusement for a while before she noticed his blue eyes bulging in their sockets. He pawed about frantically, unable to breathe, desperately searching for a drink to clear his mouth out.

"Hey!" she cried throwing him a water bottle.

He drank it all in matter of seconds, much to her surprise.

"It's cus you eat too fast!" she said crouching down to his height.

Tidus laughed raggedly as he got his breath back. Before she could speak again he sprang up to his feet with a nervous giggle and began to stretch as if she wasn't there.

"Hey!" she called following him with a start.

He spun round to meet her with a grin "Hello there. What is your name?"

"Rikku."

"Whoa!" he exclaimed taking her hands in an ecstatic cheer "You really do understand!" he threw her hands up into the air before laughing jovially.

"Uh…why didn't you say so earlier?" he asked calming down.

"I didn't get a chance to." she explained hurriedly "Everyone thought "oui" were a fiend."

"Uh…_we_?"

Rikku made a cut-throat action realising her mistake "Oh, _oui_ means _you._"

He stared at her blankly as she sauntered off to the surrounding railing that spanned the ship's side. What kind of confusing language was this? It made no sense to him whatsoever. "Uh…who _are_ you guys anyway?"

"We're Al Bhed, can't you tell?" she retorted gazing out to sea with her shining jade eyes. He watched as she bounced to and fro on the balls of her feet in a child like manner. She looked to be about 15 but he wasn't so sure.

"Wait!" she cried turning back "You're not an Al Bhed hater are you?"

"I don't even know what an _Al Bhed_ is."

"Where you from?"

"Zanarkand." he proclaimed proudly "I'm a blitzball player. _Star Player_ of the Zanarkand Abes." he feigned to kick a blitzball far off over the sea.

"Did you…hit your head or something?" she inquired raising an eyebrow.

"Um…you guys hit me."

"Oh right…" she recalled sheepishly how she'd whacked him one earlier with that sedative, "Do you remember anything before that?"

He strolled over to the bars beside her; the still grey sea seemed to invite him to gaze upon it. Despite the fact that he'd known Rikku for less than a whole day, he felt like he could talk to her…

_"So I told her everything there was to tell…about Zanarkand.  
About life there, blitzball and Sin's attack.  
And about how Auron and I were engulfed in this light._

_I just said things as they came to mind.  
But then I started to wonder…"_

"Did I…say something funny?" he inquired perceiving the flash of mild shock upon her small face.

"You were near _Sin._"

He bowed his head "Uh huh."

"Don't worry!" she assured brightly "You'll be better in no time. They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you had some kind of dream?"

"You mean I'm sick?"

"From Sin's toxin, yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago." she said "So no-one play blitzball _there_!"

Tidus froze as she skipped away "Huh?"

"Whaddya mean, _a thousand years ago_?" he cried "But I _saw_ Sin attack Zanarkand! You're saying that happened _a thousand years ago_!…No way!" He felt like a deer in the headlights, the headlights of an oncoming freight train. It hit him at full speed with the impact of a brick wall. Was this true?…

"You said…you play blitzball?" Rikku quizzed suddenly as she played with the straps on her goggles.

"Yeah…"

"You know, you should go to Luca." she suggested. "Someone might know who you are or you might find someone you recognise."

"_Luca?_"

"Aaahhh." she groaned shaking her head. They'd make no progress whatsoever at this rate…

Tidus groaned too. This was hopeless; he didn't know anything about this place. He didn't know where he was…he didn't know _when _he was. Behind him he could hear Rikku pacing back and forth quickly. He appreciated the fact that she was trying to do her best to help him…but what if she couldn't?

There was a gentle tap on his shoulder "Okay, leave it to me! I'll get you to Luca, promise!"

Tidus cringed, he didn't even know where Luca was or what it was like there…

"You'd rather stay _here_!"

"Uh-uh." he shook his head vigorously.

"Okay, I'll go tell the others. Wait here."

He watched as she scuttled off toward the mechanical doors, her blonde ponytail bobbing comically onto top of her head.

"Oh and one thing-" her voice grew grave as she halted suddenly "Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand ok? Yevon says it's a holy place, you might upset someone…"

"Oh…ok…"

With a brief grin she dashed off indoors to reveal the plan to the others.

_"My Zanarkand, some kind of holy place?  
Yeah right, I thought.  
Since when?_

_Yevon? Sin? Luca?_

_I thought Sin had just took me to a far away place.  
That I could go back in a day or two._

_But a thousand years into the future?"_

"No way!" he booted the steel panel at the side of him.

The whole ship shook, quavering suddenly from underneath. Tidus toppled over onto his side "Who-whoa!"A tremendous gush of water bursted up reaching to the sky from the distance.

The Al Bhed tumbled out from within and rushed to peer over the railings.

"_SIN_!"

"_SIN_ EC LUSA!"

"IHTAN IC IHTAN IC!"

Tidus watched in horror as swirling torrents of water pelted the sides of the ship from the previously calm sea. He didn't need to speak Al-Bhed in order to understand them; Sin had come.

It was under the boat, sending thrashing waves toward them. The ship flipped right up upon its very side, as the roving tide swept down upon it forcing everything into the swirling sea. Everything including Tidus.

He was helpless as the crashing waves enveloped him, taking him under and into the darkness beyond.

To be continued…

_(AN: Hope you like this chappie, tell me what u think!)_

_Vogue Star  
P.S. Yep, "Frozen Embers" (My other story) is mentioned in this chapter, I couldn't help it! Btw Frozen Embers isn't over yet, I'm just taking a break from it for a while. _


	3. Besaid

_Disclaimer: I don't own ffx/ffx-2 neither do I own the characters in them._

Chapter 3: Besaid.

He lay there distant, slowly becoming aware as his body floated calmly among the tranquil waves. Every touch encompassed him completely in its warm watery caress, gradually restoring his flyaway mind to woozy reality.

Suddenly the blitzer coughed, gushing out a mouthful of the salty water. "Rikku!" he spluttered, breaking the serene surface with a noisy splash.

There was no reply. He didn't need one, he could already feel it inside…his gut feeling was true.  
The Al Bhed were gone.

Both them and their ship had vanished. They'd disappeared completely, without a trace. Tidus' heart sank, not only did this mean that he was alone again, but he was lost also; lost in the middle of some God forsaken ocean.

He screwed his face up in frustration, shutting his eyes tightly. The blurred distortion that hindered his vision made his head spin round and round like some kind of sadistic carousel. Breathing as deeply as he could, he tried in vain to control the sick feeling that was welling up deeply inside him.

But in that instance, as he inhaled the calm ocean air, he realised something…it smelt very…_different_ here. A light, fresh smell wisped about him; one he'd never come across before…

Filled to the brim with curiosity, he forced his eyes open once more. As he did so, an unmistakable sound reached his ears.  
The wailing cries of seagulls.

He turned suddenly to catch sight of the birds circling majestically in the cloudless sapphire sky above him. As he watched their blurred forms numbly, the bright sun bore down upon him, warming him and the sea in its comforting glow.

The sea…that was different here too. It was a stark contrast to the grey one he'd looked over with Rikku earlier; the grey one that seemed altogether harsh and un-welcoming in its appeal. _This _sea however, was crystal clear; it sparkled beautifully in a cerulean hue as the sun danced upon its every ripple.

Tidus stared with hazy eyes, unsure of what to do next…before it actually struck him…

_Seagulls_ meant he was near land!

_**SMACK!**_

Something whacked him bluntly on the back of the head, forcing him to yell out in surprise. He spun round sluggishly, vigorously rubbing where the object had made an impact.

The young blitzer found that if he squinted hard enough he could just vaguely make out the blurred shapes of what seemed to be…_people_. They were all stood watching him curiously from the distant shoreline.

Before Tidus could react further, the missile that struck him suddenly bobbed past his line of vision. The sheer sight of it filled his heart with the contented relief it needed.

"Blitzball!" he cried seizing the familiar object, as his eyes lit up with pure delight.

These people weren't just _any_ people; they were blitzers!

Tidus clutched the ball firmly in his hands, getting to grips with the same feel it always had: the same feel that warmed his soul with an undying passion to win every time he played a game.

"HEY! YOU OKAY?" a voice yelled from the shore.

Tidus dropped the ball and waved his arms about in a flurry of sheer exultation "HEEEY!"

Without a second thought, he plunged back under the water and shot up out over the surface. With a tremendous exertion of power, his boot connected with the ball, sending it colliding back to the players in a superb version of his advanced jump shot. The same shot that gave him his big break in the world of blitzball at the young age of 11.

As the blitzer crashed back down into the waves, he could hear the astounded gasps of awe sounding from the shore as the ball zipped over the player's heads and off into the sky at the speed of light.

He resurfaced, blinking profusely. His was vision was fully restored, allowing him to view everything much more clearly than before.

Before him was a wide stretching shoreline covered completely in pure white sand. The whole place looked sort of tropical to the blitzer, he'd never seen anything quite like it before. Sure there was a beach in Zanarkand, _was_ a beach…the city's growing urban development made sure it didn't survive long…

Above this seemingly idyllic beach were small square hilltops fuelled with vivacious green plant life. This place even had trees jutting out here and there, tall palm trees with long shimmering leaves. Zanarkand didn't have the time, space, or energy for trees; this was the first time Tidus had seen a real one. He could also make out the small wooden foundations of a pier far off to the left, there were no boats harboured in it but it would seem that it was used rather frequently by the way it was loaded with barrels and cargo.

Overall, it seemed a lot more pleasant here than all the other places he'd encountered so far. The blitzer was all too happy to swim rapidly to the shore in hope of some company and maybe even…some food.

In just a few strokes he'd made it to land, and sure enough the people there were blitzers, much like him. They were all deeply tanned guys of which the majority were tall and bulky in muscle tone. It seemed to Tidus that they were all from the same team as they wore almost identical attire to one another, mainly consisting of bright yellow suspender shirts; shirts that were almost standard uniform for every blitz team.

The blonde lingered there amidst the pale sand momentarily as the incoming tide gently washed his boots. He watched curiously as one of the teambid farewell to two men before they ran off up a dirt path, leading away from the beach.

The player turned to set eyes upon Tidus…a look of complete shock passed over his broad face…a strange sort of shock.

As he approached slowly, Tidus got a chance to get a good look at him. This player wore identical attire to the others apart from one exception, upon his left arm was a huge customised armguard much like Tidus' in a way. The man's hair was unusually deep ginger in colour, spiked up high with a crest at the front; the whole lot was being held back by a thick blue bandanna.

Tidus rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as the whole team turned in and surrounded him, completely awe-struck. "Yo…Hiya…" he said meekly, not quite knowing what their reaction would be….

The redhead greeted him with a stunned smile "You wanna…try dat move…one more time?"

_"Finally! Things were starting to look up!"_

"Whoooa!" the team murmured, watching with wide eyes as Tidus sent the ball speeding off again like a bullet over the sea. They'd never seen a shot like it, being performed with such ease before…

The redhead folded his arms contentedly "You no amateur! Who you play for?" he asked with a chuckle.

Tidus beamed proudly "The Zanarkand Abes!"

Their faces dropped instantly. Tidus cringed as they stood there staring at him in stunned disbelief. They all began to mumble dubiously around him with suspicious gazes. He'd only been there a few seconds and he'd already messed up in mentioning Zanarkand. They were probably all thinking he'd escaped from some kind of crazy farm, or worse.

"What team you say again?" the redhead inquired with narrow eyes, unable to believe his ears.

Tidus screwed his face up prudently "I meant…forget that…" he retorted shaking his head "I er got too uh close to Sin and my head's all foggy-like." he explained loosely. "So I don't know where this place is…Or even where I came from…." His head dropped despondently. He hated having to lie to them…he _did_ know where he came from: Zanarkand. But according to Rikku, the Zanarkand he knew was…well… he didn't want to think about it…Yet the thought plagued him incessantly, there were too many questions left unanswered. His mind could not be at rest until he knew the truth, whether it was good…or bad…

The team gasped in horror at the sudden mention of Sin. It was more that evident that these people were all too familiar with the carnage that it was capable of.

"Sin's toxin got to you." The red-haired player confirmed gravely "But, you're still alive!" he added hopefully, dispelling the bad vibe in the air "PraisebetoYevon_…_"

All the team stood back and did a strange gesture with their hands, a gesture the startled young blitzer recognised immediately…but in an extremely different context…

"Alright! Back to practice!" the same player ordered, shooing the others off with a flap of his hand.

The team fell back to their positions and began to mess around with a blitzball behind him.

"I'm Wakka." he said turning back to Tidus, taking his hand tightly in a firm hand shake. "Coach _and _captain of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda!"

Tidus would've gratefully returned the introduction but his stomach beat him to it, growling like some kind of caged beast. He hadn't eaten in ages, and he'd literally wasted the food Rikku gave him.

"What? You hungry?" Wakka quizzed with a cheeky grin, hearing the foreboding rumbles.

Tidus winced sheepishly.

"Alright, back to the village. I'll get ya somethin'!" Wakka headed off for the path the two men had taken earlier, with Tidus following close behind him.

Still the thoughts of Zanarkand and Sin provoked the young blitzer's mind. The sheer thought that his home may be destroyed tore him in two.

_" I felt like I could trust this Wakka.  
So, I just had to ask."_

Tidus held back for a while before plucking up the courage to speak "Um…it's true Zanarkand was destroyed, right? A thousand years ago?… So, it's just a big pile of rubble now, isn't it?…" he asked morosely letting his eyes drive their way into the dirt path that was appearing slowly beneath his feet.

"Hmm" Wakka nodded gravely, drawing to a halt "Long time ago, there were a whole lot of cities in Spira." he explained "_Big_ cities with machina--machines-- to run 'em. People played _all _day and let the machina do the work…and then, well, take a look."

Tidus' eyes followed to where Wakka's hand signalled. Above him, he could make out the strange ruins of an ancient city, nestled upon the hilltops. They were mostly covered now with the lush leafy vegetation that grew in this place. He was amazed that he hadn't noticed these camouflaged wonders earlier. They were everywhere; all crumbled and rotting away; their only purpose now was to provide a home for the nesting sea birds.

"Sin came and destroyed the machina cities. And Zanarkand along with 'em." Wakka sighed scratching the stubble on his chin "…Yeah, dat was about 1000 years ago, just like you said."

Tidus still stared up at the ruins. Everything in this place, this Spira. Everything was in ruins...

"If you ask me, Sin's our punishment for lettin' things get outta hand." Wakka frowned, letting his deep brown eyes stray onto the calm white sands once more. "What gets me though is that we gotta suffer 'cause of what some goofballs did way back when!" he said folding his arms in aggravation "'Course we must always repent for our sins. That's important!" he turned to the blitzer with a wry smile "It's just that…it's hard to keep at it sometimes, y'know."

Tidus listened intently, his heart felt like a ball of lead pounding in his chest…

_"It was just as Rikku said.  
Wakka and Rikku couldn't both be lying.  
Why would they?"_

Wakka suddenly burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, disturbing the grave tranquillity "But _you_ from the Zanarkand Abes? Dat was a good one, eh?" he chuckled, throwing his bulky arm around Tidus' back "Hey, I'm not sayin' the team never existed, ya? But you gotta figure, a team livin' in luxury like that'd be pretty soft, eh?" he exclaimed ruffling the blitzer's hair in a brotherly manner.

_"I appreciated the fact that Wakka was trying to cheer me up.  
But at that time all I could think about was…  
everything that had happened to me--all this--started with Sin._

_Maybe if I could find Sin one more time, I could go home._

_For now, I'd just live life until that time came.  
No more worrying about where or when I was._

_Sure was hard not to think of home.  
But it started to feel better already._

_A little better…maybe…"_

"Hey! It's this way!" Wakka dashed ahead suddenly, veering off to the right behind a small hillock.

Tidus pursued, after filling himself with a new hope, ridding himself of the fact that Zanarkand, his home was destroyed. The one here on Spira maybe was…but _his_ sure wasn't!…Wasn't it?…

The blitzer found his new acquaintance stood at the very edge of a tiny grass clearing, peering down over the steep side. Wakka greeted the blonde with a weird look, a strange kind of mischievous excitement was written all over his face. Tidus carried on toward him regardless, expecting to find this village below…

He reached Wakka's position ignoring the over casual look in his brown eyes "Huh?"  
This was no _village._

It was just a deep valley filled with water far below. Breaking the surface along either side were yet more ruins, this was no different to what he'd seen before.

Sneakily Wakka crept up behind the unaware Tidus, who was all too busy staring over the edge to notice. A sharp shove was all it took to send the blonde plummeting down toward the deep water below.

"Whoa!" Wakka heard the blitzer's cry decrease comically before he hit the surface with a tremendous splash.

"What's the big idea!" Tidus yelled in frustration as Wakka dived down to accompany him. …Just what the hell was he playing at?

The young blitzer floated above the surface waiting for an answer. He heard the redhead cackling evilly from all around him…but couldn't quite pinpoint the location…

Suddenly, without warning, the huge blitzer shot up out of the water behind Tidus, grabbing him in a tight headlock with his muscled arm.

"Lemme go!" the blonde pleaded strongly, grappling with the vice grip around his neck.

"Got a favour to ask ya!" Wakka enthused, keeping his playful lock on the blitzer's neck ever so tight.

Tidus frowned; he knew exactly what Wakka wanted, he'd been in this situation all too often in Zanarkand…well maybe not as rough as this. "You want me on your team, right?" he sighed, reading Wakka's bizarre behaviour like a book.

Instantly the redhead released his grip, taking Tidus by surprise. The blonde plopped back down under the water, swallowing what he swore was at least a gallon of it. This Wakka sure was rough!

"A major blitz tournament's coming up!" Wakka explained excitedly as the blitzer resurfaced "All the teams in Spira'll be there!"

Tidus floated on his back on the calm surface, paddling slowly with his feet.

"It's _so_ huge, I'm sure someone there will recognise you!" Wakka exclaimed as the blonde drifted away "Then you can go back to your old team, right?" he persisted earnestly "It'll be fun! Whaddya say, huh? C'mon! C'mon!"

Tidus stared up at the cloudless sky above him. The sun blazed overhead like a glimmering diamond…he _had _promised himself he would live each day as it came…  
"Sure thing." he agreed, frowning sulkily to himself. Despite the fact he could get straight back to the game, blitz was probably the last thing on his mind.

"Dude! Our team's gonna rock, eh?" he heard Wakka rejoice as he sped off in search off a way back up to land.

_"I thought then that blitzball and Sin were the only two things that Spira and Zanarkand had in common…_

_I wasn't too far off either."_

Satisfied that he'd gained a new player, Wakka was more than willing to guide the young blitzer back up to land. A small climb up a half-shattered, weather worn building, led them up to an ascending dirt track. At the very top was a strange flat hill, the _promontory _as Wakka called it. Upon it was a weird sort of obelisk, consisting mostly of a carved column of cylindrical rock. Tidus stared at the strange object curiously as Wakka strode past it.

"This is where I was born" he said pointing down over the side of the steep hill slope.

Tidus strolled over to see a small bundle of round huts arranged neatly at the bottom of the valley. One of which was extremely large and much grander than all the others. It looked like it was made of stone with a roof spanning out like a mighty shell. It would seem that the building played a pivotal role in the village by the way the huts were placed before its mighty structure. The whole place didn't even look remotely close to what Tidus was used to; it looked…well…kind of rustic to him.

"I started blitz when I was 5." Wakka continued "I joined the Aurochs at 13, ten years ago…Ten years…" he sighed "and we never won a game…"

Tidus stopped suddenly, so the team _wasn't_ slacking off and messing about with that ball earlier…that was their practice! No wonder the never won a game, he thought.

"Well…after last years tournament I quit. Time seemed right." Wakka claimed as he wandered off a little, forgetting the all-important fact that Tidus' stomach was growling even more severely than before.

The blonde followed Wakka some way down the hill, beneath him was a gravely dirt path much like the other. At either side many forms of plant grew and the occasional palm tree jutted out before them.

"So, after quitting, I got this new job, ya?" Wakka said "But every time my mind wandered, I thought about the game."

"Ten years without a single win'll do that." Tidus confirmed folding his arms.

Wakka stopped to gaze over the cliff momentarily "Hmm" his eyes stared down into the trees blankly "My first match last year was my last chance…But something else was on my mind." he said distantly "I couldn't focus."

"Nice excuse." the blonde retorted.

"Hey! Hey!"

"So, you wanna win the next tournament--go out with a bang." Tidus affirmed confidently.

Wakka nodded.

"So, what's our goal?" the blonde questioned, regaining some of his spirit.

"I don't care how we do. Long as we do our best." Wakka said rubbing the back of his head "If we give it our all, I can walk away happy."

Tidus shoulders sagged tiredly; he recalled how in his training he was informed over and over what their _goal_ was. It was drilled into him to the point of him almost reciting it in his sleep. It was the spirit of blitzball in Zanarkand, the pure essence of the game.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he cried turning to Wakka "If I say, What's our goal? You say, VICTORY! When you play in a blitzball tournament, you play to win!"

An enthralled look of awe passed over the bulky blitzer's face, it was like the penny had just dropped. "_Victory_? You serious?" he breathed.

Tidus nodded; their team needed that winning spirit, this was the real reason they'd never won a game! What was the point of being a team if they didn't have a goal!

Wakka laughed, and continued on his way. He didn't know where the hell this kid had come from but he sure knew how to keep blitz alive, that was for sure!

Pretty soon the village appeared before them. Tidus peered in between the small blue pillars that marked the entrance. The whole place was tiny with a smooth stone cobbled floor that spiralled roughly around a central circle. The huts themselves were mostly dome shaped, each entrance was covered by bright coloured cloth that acted as large curtains rather than doors. Tidus eyed them dubiously…didn't these people ever get burgled?…

"Besaid Village!" Wakka exclaimed leading Tidus through over the cobbled floor.

"They got any food there?" The young blitzer whined, clutching his stomach.

"We'll get ya somethin' over there later." Wakka said pointing to a hut on the right side that was somewhat larger than the others. "Take a look around first." He was hoping that maybe Tidus would recognise something in the village that would help regain his so-called memory loss…

The blitzer did as the redhead suggested, taking the chance to have a good look around. That was until his gaze locked onto it again…  
He stared at it, there before him in the distance, the largest building in the village. His eyes found their way down the dark path that led to the gaping jaws of its entrance. It almost seemed like it was drawing him in…

Wakka in the meantime had strolled off to the centre leaving the reluctant Tidus behind "Oh right…" he came rushing back before the blonde could move "Over here." he hissed.

"Huh? What's up?"

"You do remember the prayer, right?" Wakka whispered as he took Tidus to one side.

"I don't know any prayers." The blitzer admitted sheepishly.

_"Of course, I'd never prayed before in my life.  
Not that he would know that…"_

Wakka gawked at him alarmed "You…musta forgot or somethin'…" he figured slowly. "Here, let me show you."

The red-haired blitzer held his arms outstretched, before stepping back with his left foot. Then he brought his arms in to make a ball shape and bowed. "You try. Go ahead."

Tidus mimicked Wakka's actions slowly before looking up for an opinion.

"Hey, not bad." The redhead confirmed patting him on the shoulder. "Ok, now go present yourself to the temple summoner." He headed off leaving Tidus to stare deeply into the ball that his hands had created.

It was the same gesture the team had done to him on the beach, the same gesture he recognised…

_"Any blitzball player would know that prayer.  
It was the blitzball sign for…victory."_

He recalled how the three young boys had bidden him good luck with it before he left for the final match, it seemed bizarre that here it was a…prayer…But most importantly, a prayer for _what_? Whydid they _pray_?

Pushing the perplexing thoughts from his mind, he carried on into the village ignoring the crying pleas of his stomach.

"Hey, you!" a young man with dark hair suddenly darted towards the blonde hurriedly, driving him to a complete halt. He'd burst out from a strange square hut that was somewhat different to all the others. It was set away on the left-hand side and had a peaked roof, almost like a huge tent.

"Gatta!" a stern voice reprimanded gravely from inside.

The young man flinched instantly, remembering his etiquette "Ahem…would you care to step inside, please?" he peeled by the curtain complaisantly.

"Uh…sure." Tidus followed him blankly, wondering what on earth the strange outburst was for.

Inside, the blitzer soon learned that this tent like hut was none other than the village inn. From the outside the size of the interior was deceiving as the room stretched extremely far back within. Many beds were arrayed neatly at the back of the large oblong room, all accompanied by small bedside tables that held tiny oil lamps. It seemed rather more homely in this abode due to the planked wooden floor, clearly it was made for visitors.

The young man responsible for the commotion, seated himself at a small oak table next to the doorway. Another was with him, a tall, noble looking man with blood red hair and blue eyes; he was staring intently at a worn cloth map upon the table surface.

Tidus instantly recognised the pair as the men Wakka has said farewell to on the beach earlier. They introduced themselves as Luzzu and Gatta; Crusaders_….crews-of-what?_

"You were attacked by Sin! Recently was it?" Gatta wasted no time in interrogating Tidus speedily.

"I think so…" the blitzer replied, he was unsure himself; the last thing he wanted to do was guess and give them false information.

"So…Sin can't be far off, right?" Gatta predicted energetically, hardly giving himself room to breathe. "You're not hiding anything are you?"

"Why would I?" Tidus exclaimed.

"If Sin's nearby, it'll attack the island for sure…" Luzzu explained gravely, running his hand through his carmine hair "But it hasn't…wonder why?…"

"I'm sorry." The blitzer apologised looking down "I really don't know anything…" It was true, he _didn't_ know anything…he'd only learned he was on an _island_ just now! "To tell the truth…" he continued weakly "I er don't know what the _Crusaders_ are."

"You're kidding, right?" Gatta spluttered.

"Sin! The toxin!" Luzzu interrupted understanding Tidus' so-called state of mind. "Gatta, tell him who we are."

"Yes, sir!" the young man sprang from his seat saluting to his chest proudly "The Crusaders are sworn to battle Sin! We have chapters throughout Spira, accepting all who wish to join our struggle!" by the bold robotic tone in his voice it was more than evident that he'd been reciting the whole speech over and over, 'til he'd learnt it by heart. "The hero Mi'ihen formed the Crusaders 800 years ago as the _Crimson Blades_. Later our ranks grew and we called ourselves the _Crusaders_. We've been fighting Sin ever since!"

"What!" Tidus blurted out unable to control himself "You've been fighting _800_ years and you still haven't beat it!"

"Uh-" Gatta faltered, looking rather gobsmacked. No one had _ever _questioned him like than before…he had no answer…

"Well, we've steered Sin away from towns many times." Luzzu intervened solemnly as Gatta took a well deserved seat "And that's all we can do. Nobody's ever been able to defeat it. Our job as Crusaders, is to protect the temples, towns, villages and people of Spira."

"So then, whose job is it to defeat Sin?" Tidus inquired rather urgently.

The Crusaders glanced at each other momentarily in disbelief.

"Is Sin's toxin really _this_ bad, sir?" Gatta whispered.

"It does seem rather bad…"Luzzu agreed quietly. "We could just tell you." He said turning back to Tidus. "But I think it would be better for you to try and remember. Go pray at the temple." He suggested with a sympathetic smile. "Perhaps Yevon will help you…regain your memory."

Tidus took his leave of the Crusaders and retreated outdoors once more. His azure eyes fixed onto the place that attracted him originally, the place he now knew was known as the _temple_.

Standing in its mighty shadow, he could observe the full extent of its structure. The building was made of what seemed to be some form of chalky blue stone that shone inertly in the glowing rays of the sun. Spanning down over the extent of the exterior was the great clam shell roof. It was so huge that it even covered the long path leading up to the temple entrance itself. Thick curved struts supported its weight beneath holding it firmly in place above the plateau below.

It wasn't even close to the huge buildings and skyscrapers of Zanarkand, but it sure looked big compared to the meagre huts that lay in its path.

Slowly the blitzer passed down the long searching path leading up to the entrance. As he ventured closer he felt a cold breeze escape the dark chamber within, a breeze that chilled his very bones to the core. A great weight bore down upon his shoulders as he stepped foot in the threshold, a weight that seemed to inhabit the dense air.

Instantly a strange song enveloped him, filling his ears with its sweet melody. A song that seemed familiar to him…but somehow...distant…

Within, his eyes met a large circular room with a dark stone floor. The middle of the cold, hard surface was covered in ancient glyphs and symbols, all of which were completely alien to the blitzer.

The curved walls at either side were adorned with many rows of statues, set above each other; statues of many people all dressed in ceremonial type robes. The whole place was dim, being lit by only by the red glow of two torches illuminating the staircase at the far end before him. At the very top of which were 2 strange doors, sealed shut together: both were lavished ornately with the carved wings of a mythical celestial being.

Tidus could help noticing the main features of the room however. Four great statues, two standing either side of the staircase. They were huge in stature, towering greatly over the others. Above these leaning out of the walls and reaching to the ceiling were two even bigger idols, Tidus felt they had even greater power by the way they were presented. One was a scantily clad woman adorned with jewellery that hung down eerily from her body. The other was an extremely masculine man that wore thick formidable armour.

The people of the village were scattered about, all kneeling and worshipping the strange idols. Standing there witnessing their actions, he finally learnt what _Yevon _was… _Yevon_ was a religion.

_"It was then…standing in that place.  
I began to realise how different this world was from my own."_

The blitzer proceeded to one of the four statues, he settled with the one on the far right. Staring up the torchlight he beheld the haunting image a mighty man, standing proud and prone in strange robes with a great long staff held tightly in his right hand. He eyed the man curiously, in an attempt to figure out the meaning of it all.

"Ten years have passed since lord Braska became high summoner…"

Tidus spun around startled.

Out of the shadows behind him an old man appeared, he was completely hairless, dressed from head to toe in orange robes; a monk.

"…and finally we receive a statue for our temple…" he continued signalling to the idol before them with an air of deep reverence.

"What's a _high summoner_?" Tidus inquired inquisitively, without thinking.

The whole temple ceased everything to lay dumbfounded eyes upon the blitzer. "Huh?" Everyone began to murmur and gawk in utter disbelief. He'd done it again, he just wished he'd kept his mouth shut.

"I er, I got too close to Sin's uh toxin" he blurted out, in a vain attempt to spare himself the unwanted attention.

Gasps of horror and sympathy escalated his way, along with prayers of good will.

Tidus cringed inwardly out of sheer awkwardness…

_"It was funny hearing myself say the same excuse over and over.  
Funny… and a little sad…"_

"The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art sworn to protect the people of Yevon." The monk explained comprehending the blitzer's _condition._ "Only a chosen few become summoners, who call forth entities of great power: the _aeons_. The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon." He said fondly, it was more that evident that the deep regard he had for these...summoners was limitless.

_"So what he meant…  
was that we should respect some kinda great men or something like that…I figured."_

Tidus left the monk to it, he thought maybe it was best to leave. He'd already drawn far too much attention to himself. The blitzer turned heel and headed back for Wakka's, the big hut on the right.

He found the islander sat cross-legged in the middle of the room stirring a big steaming pot. The whole room was like a house in one with beds, a kitchen and lounge in there!

"Sorry man, no time for lunch yet!" he said turning to address the ragged looking Tidus.

The young blitzer's head was literally throbbing with all the information he'd had take in, Aurochs, Crusaders, Sin, Yevon, summoners, aeons…he couldn't learn more in a day if he tried!

"Take a nap!" Wakka exclaimed looking him up and down. "You look bushed!"

Tidus gratefully accepted the offer and slung himself down on the bed beside the islander. As his eyelids slowly flickered shut another presence entered the room…

"You could at least go see how they are doing…" the deep voice breathed anxiously: the voice of the monk.

Wakka stood up in aggravation "We can't interfere! It's a rule!" He argued following him out of the doorway.

The monk persisted, his voice steeped in worry "But…it's been nearly…."

Everything went hazy as Tidus began to doze off dreamily…

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"But…it's been nearly…" _the words played in his head…reminding him of things longforgotten…  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's been nearly a day already." The man confirmed at the head of the crowd.

Tidus looked on adversely and continued messing with the dirt on his hands…his seven-year-old hands.

"Perhaps you could go look for us?…" his mother urged wistfully, cleaving her arms tightly to her chest. The anxiety within purged her soul; she feared the worst…the worst for her husband…

"People are searching for him now."

"Thank you" she managed to utter through bated breath.

Tidus ran before her with a look of disdain as the man left "Who cares if he comes back or not!"

"But he might die!" she cried, unable to bear the pain that gnawed within her.

"Fine let him!"

She knelt down to her son's height " Do you…do you _hate_ him so?"

Tidus nodded firmly.

"But if he dies, you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him!" she exclaimed attempting to restore her son's lost love for his father. The love he never held for him.

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Tidus sprung awake suddenly "Wakka?"

The islander was nowhere to be seen.

Tidus clambered from the soft bed and wandered outside. He headed toward the temple, in hope of finding the missing player. As soon as he re-entered the large stone building Tidus caught sight of Wakka in the distance. He was stood at the foot of the stairs at the far side of the room. The islander seemed to be deep in discussion with the old monk, who was pacing about somewhat impatiently.

"Is something wrong?" Tidus inquired concerned.

"The summoner hasn't returned from the trial." Wakka replied deeply.

"Eh?"

"Well, apprentice summoner, really." the islander said, correcting himself.

"Ah?"

Wakka gazed up the staircase to the mighty doors at the top "There's a room in there called the Cloister of Trials…" he explained "beyond is where the apprentice summoner prays."

Tidus looked up to the immense doors with a pensive glance; something stirred deep within him, something that evoked the yearning urge to discover what exactly was on the other side.

"If the prayer is heard the apprentice becomes a fully-fledged summoner, remember?" Wakka said looking back to him.

"So someone is in there somewhere and they haven't come back out. Right, I got it." he nodded. Tidus didn't quite understand the details; the basics were good enough for him.

"A day's already gone by."

"Is it particularly _dangerous _in there?" Tidus questioned.

"Sometimes, yes."

"Why don't you go in and help?" The blitzer asked, surprised at Wakka's laid back approach. Wasn't he bothered?

"There's already guardians in there…" the islander replied looking sidelong at the blonde. "Besides, it's forbidden."

Suddenly the young blitzer snapped. Before he knew what he was doing he'd already belted halfway up the staircase in a dramatic display of urgency. Maybe it was his curiosity; maybe it was his urge to help. "Hey, but what if somethin' happens!" he exclaimed completely vexed "What if the summoner…dies!" He couldn't believe they were willing to stand there waiting, while their revered apprentice was in possible danger, just because they didn't want to break the rules. Well, the rules meant nothing to him, neither did Yevon.

"The precepts must be obeyed!" the monk decreed passionately in a valiant attempt to halt the blitzer.

"Like I care!" Tidus turned heel and flung himself toward the doors, leaving the whole temple to gasp in horror, they'd never heard such blasphemy. Little did Tidus know that he was about to be blacklisted…

As he plunged into the unknown, the doors behind him slammed shut aggressively with a cataclysmic bang. There was no turning back; he had to face what awaited him within the depths and commence with the abstruse task of finding his way through the cloisters, no matter how dangerous they might be …

To be continued…

_AN: Hiya! If you don't wanna read me ranting, skip this part and review me! Please!_

_Now, first of all I feel the need to apologise, because I've split all the stuff that happens in Besaid into two chapters, which means you'll have to wait a little while longer!. The first reason for this is that this chapter would be way too long and secondly there's way too much information given at this critical point in the game, to stuff into one chapter at once, it would give you a migrane, trust me!  
It took me ages to decide where to split the two chapters apart! I hope that splitting them just before the Cloister of Trials is good for you. The events that follow the cloisters are extremely vital to the understanding of the game's plot, and give depth to the storyline. Therefore I need loadsa space to fit them in. You know me; I like to embellish things._

_Oh yeah before I forget again! Last time I forgot to mention why I didn't explain what certain things were i.e. pyreflies. I did this on purpose it wasn't an error. Such enigmas that exist within a story, are a well-used writing device of mine. They encourage the reader to read on, and keep them on their toes because they want to discover what these enigmas are! I will gradually explain what these things (i.e. pyreflies) are, as the story develops. Even Tidus doesn't know what they are yet at this point in the game! But really you guys should know what pyreflies are by now, right! Understand folks that all omissions of detail are done on purpose in my stuff! Except of course for spelling mistakes etc…erm…that's just when I don't pay attention when I'm typing. I type too fast for my own good sometimes!_

_Right enough already! Sayounara._

_Vogue Star_

_If you're still awake send me a review and tell me what you think!_


	4. A Summoner is Born

_Thank you to everyone that reviewed for your kind words! Hope u lot enjoy this chappie!  
Oh and **Griselda** **Banks **I was so confused over how you were complaining about question marks! After writing for nearly five years i really thought you needed glasses or something. Then i looked over my chapters on the site to check and it would seem that when i put a question mark followed by an exclamation mark (can'tshhow you site won't let me!)only the exclamation mark is shows up, weird huh? Don't worry i've changed them all! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own either ffx or ffx-2 or the characters in them._

Chapter 4: A Summoner is Born.

A gust of dense air cast about him as soon as the great doors slammed shut. The blitzer shuddered slightly as its inert icy touch enveloped his body.

He wasn't prepared for the darkness that enslaved his vision, nor was he prepared for the challenge that awaited.

_"Maybe…this wasn't such a good idea after all…"_

Cautiously, he edged into the blackness. His boots scraped over the dry ground clumsily as he endeavoured to stagger forward blindly. Leaning to the side, the blitzer pawed the air slowly in search of a suitable handhold. His gloved hand met the hard stone touch of a wall that spanned out beside him.

Running his fingers along its surface, he felt outwardly with the other hand for something else to guide him onwards. That dreaded musty smell infiltrated his senses once more, the same smell he encountered in the sunken ruins when he was trapped.

Bearing its stench, Tidus ventured further into the abyss. A chilled breeze swept past him suddenly, so cold it was that it coaxed the hairs on the nape of his neck to stand completely on end. But this was ordinary breeze…

As it passed by his ear, the blitzer heard hushed whispering voices resonating within it. He sprang around startled, his wide eyes darting about shakily in the dark.

There was nothing, not a sound.

The blitzer lingered there motionless, waiting to see if indeed he was going mad…  
Suddenly from behind, a delicate draught swept the hair from his neck to one side. It almost felt like _someone_ was blowing the hair aside, someone or _something_…

Instantly Tidus clapped his hands over his freezing neck, his body quivered as his breathing became irrationally unstable. The voices rushed towards him, this time they gained volume. Distorted they were, all mixed together hurriedly in a haunting mass of resonance. The words were indistinct as they permeated his ear drums, undulating eerily within the deepest recesses of his mind.

Tidus threw himself back to the wall. "Who's there?" he rasped as he cowered flatly against it.

Instantly there was a crackling fizz as a ball of fire erupted suddenly in the corner of the room. Tidus nearly hit the ceiling in fright.

With the adrenaline pumping mercilessly in his veins, the blitzer fought desperately to control his rapid panting. Sensing the noise had stopped, he dared himself to look up once more.

To his complete amazement the room was visible, it was being dimly lit by the presence of four small torches in each corner, wreathed in fire. Instantly the blitzer checked his surroundings for evidence of another presence in there with him.

There was no-one.

He heaved a deep sigh of relief, and shook away the thoughts of the strange occurrence.

Stepping away from the wall gingerly, he could now see that the room was indeed a lot smaller than he'd initially thought. In fact it was more of a box room with three tall slab walls. All of which were infested with the thick gauze webs of spiders that lurked menacingly in the shadows. Tidus cringed as he laid eyes on them and dusted himself off hazardously.

_But_ _where_ _to_ _go_ _from_ _here_? he wondered. The was no way on, no path that led out from this strange place. The blitzer didn't want to linger there any longer then he had done already.

Suddenly the walls lit up. Tidus took a step back hesitantly as he observed strange symbols and glyphs appear upon the huge stone slabs. His attention was drawn to the furthest from him. It was a bizarre compass shape that throbbed slowly in a fluorescent green hue. Reaching forward he pressed his hand to it prudently wondering what would happen.

The glyph pulsed momentarily in a flash of cerise light. In the corner of his eye Tidus saw the white symbols upon the side wall fade into a replica of the compass. Taking this as a sign, the blitzer turned to touch the replica slowly.

The wall shuddered.

Fountains of dust spewed from its sides as continued to quiver unsteadily. Tidus watched in amazement as it began to move slowly, hoisting itself up into the air. Gradually Tidus could see a path opening out before him, it was lit by dim torchlight much like the room he was in.

Cautiously he ducked under the rising wall and followed short staircase downwards, he couldn't _sense_ any danger…

The way through the trials from here, he found was simpler than he'd expected. Tidus wondered how the place had indeed got its name; Cloister of Trials, as it was far from a trial to him. Most of the oncoming pathways were blocked by sturdy wooden doors. At first the blitzer tried to heave them open with his shoulder, until he discovered the sphere shaped recesses in them. These _spheres_ were glowing balls that were scattered around frequently in huge marble pedestals.

The blitzer however kept his wits about him as he inserted them into the doors however, the experience he'd had in the first room had rattled him enough to get his paranoia going

Tidus had passed through several doors before he hit a snag and found himself facing another dead end. There were no symbols or glyphs to touch and no doors to be entered. All there was, was a spherical pattern in the middle of the floor, adorned with majestic colours.

Just when he thought he'd got away from the strange utterances another voice spoke out to him. But this time it was familiar.

"Hey!"

Tidus turned to see Wakka advancing slowly toward him in the weak light.

"What's gotten into you?" the islander questioned in a chiding manner.

Tidus stared at him speechless, he didn't know himself what had inspired him to barge through the doors so irrationally earlier.

"Hey, it's ok." Wakka reassured as he halted by the blitzer's side. "Only summoners, apprentice summoners and their guardians can enter here. It's a tradition. Very important." He said raising his eyebrows.

"So what about _you_?" Tidus inquired. It seemed to him that Wakka was immune to the tense atmosphere within the strange cloisters.

"Me? I'm a guardian." The redhead confirmed folding his broad arms solemnly.

"A _guardian_?"

Before the islander could reply the spherical shape beneath their feet lit up in a flash of intense white light. Tidus yelled out in surprise as it began to vibrate, lowering them down slowly. Wakka on the other hand didn't flinch.

"Summoners go on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple in Spira." He explained "Guardians protect them."

Tidus listened as the platform dropped them further down the cylindrical stone abyss beneath them. With a jolt it ground to a halt before a great archway that was carved intricately out of the solid rock.

"The guardians in there now…" Wakka informed looking hesitantly through the arc. "One of them's got a short fuse and who knows what the other's thinkin'?" he said with a shake of his head. "Well…now that we've come this far…might as well go all the way!"

He led Tidus in cautiously. The young blitzer's eyes met a room that was similar in form to the one upstairs, with the same song that enveloped his ears. Inside it was circular, being lit by many torches that adorned its rounded walls. The main feature of the room however was a tall sweeping staircase. It led up to an odd, almost oval shaped door, which was spectacularly formed out of pure tan coloured stone.

At either side it was lit by beautiful roseate lamps, that highlighted every contour, every wonderful cleft in the door's structure. It was clear that this place played a much more of a momentous role than the room upstairs, which made Tidus fell even worse about being there.

Wakka clapped his hand to his brow instantly as a person within was alerted to their presence.

It was a woman clad in a flowing black dress. Her raven hair was braided tightly along the top of her head, being held high in place by lacquered chopsticks at the back. Long thin plaits streamed down upon her shoulders like an ebony river.

"What are _you _doinghere?" she sneered coldly raising herself from her seat upon the steps. "Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?"

"No, it's er…it's just…" Wakka stammered "See, I told you she gets mad easy." He hissed, nudging the blonde.

As she approached Tidus let his glance stray to the other side of the staircase. What caught his eye took him by complete surprise. This second person…wasn't human…

It stood to at least 7 feet tall and was covered from head to toe in hairy blue skin. The muscle tone upon this creature was remarkably huge, bulging from every limb. Upon its gigantic feet and hands were monstrously large claws that looked razor sharp from the distance.

Tidus felt its cold yellow eyes shine out at him emotionless from its aggressively cat-like face. In a split second it turned back, keeping its arms folded over its broad chest. The blitzer couldn't tell whether this was bad or good…

"I-Is the summoner alright?" he blurted out anxiously as the woman halted sternly before Wakka. The summoner was the reason he'd come down here in the first place.

Her crimson eyes swiftly passed their glare to the young blitzer. Instantly her pale face dropped in mild shock "Who _are _you?" she breathed.

A deep rumble ensued suddenly behind her. The three of them glanced to the source rapidly.

It was the door. It was opening.

Wakka and the dark haired woman advanced to the staircase eagerly, leaving Tidus to hang back as he watched in anticipation.

Slowly the door slid upwards, throwing blinding shafts of golden light in to the room. Stood in the path of the emitting beams was a figure. The figure of a young woman.

Enthralled with curiosity, Tidus ventured closer, halting at the very foot of the stairs as to discover he identity.

She wore a long dark indigo skirt that fell in graceful pleats all the way down to her black-booted feet. Her white kimono-like shirt was pulled tightly about her in halterneck style with a great yellow belt that formed around her waist with a huge bow at the back. Upon her arms, from just above the elbow, fell long flared white sleeves that faded to pink at the very bottom. They hung from her arms majestically as she clutched the side of the doorframe with heavy fatigue.

Still her identity was a mystery to the blitzer, as her face was still obscured by the shoulder length locks of her mousy brown hair. She staggered forward slowly, struggling to keep her footing.

Suddenly her legs lost their purpose beneath her. Everyone cried out in horror as she tottered on the edge, before plummeting down head first. Tidus dashed forward swiftly to save her fall. Before he could even reach her, the blue creature plunged before him, mounting the staircase in a terrific leap. They all sighed deeply with relief as it caught her safely in its gigantic arms.

With the creature's help the young lady steadied herself back to her feet. Reaching up she cast the hair back from her shoulders, shaking her head slowly to reveal her face.

As smooth and flawless as porcelain, her skin was; bathed in the perspiration that ran from the side of her brow. Her eyes were strangely unique, each bearing a different colour, the left; blue, the right; green.

A look of enraptured joy passed over her serene face as she spoke "I…have done it!" she said "I have become…a summoner."

In a moment the young lady was ushered away by the others, leaving Tidus to follow them dumbfounded.

_"Man was I surprised!_

_And here I was thinking summoners were all old geezers!"_

Soon the blitzer arrived back in the main hall of the temple. He observed as the villagers gasped in awe at the birth of their new summoner. They followed her outside hurriedly, all their faces alight with ecstatic cheer. It would appear they'd forgotten about Tidus' transgression earlier.

As his face met the glorious sunlight outside, Tidus breathed a well-earned sigh of relief; it was good to be outdoors again. Looking ahead he noticed the people had now assembled in a huge circle in the very middle of the village.

"Hey, over here!" Wakka called signalling to the blitzer.

Tidus complied and wandered over slowly. All too slow for Wakka.

"Wha? Ow!" Tidus yelled as the impatient islander grappled him into another playful headlock from behind.

Eagerly he dragged the young blitzer to the very front of the crowd "Wait 'til you see this!" he enthused excitedly.

"I can't see anything!" Tidus complained.

Wakka spun him round, releasing him roughly. "Ready!" he called to young summoner.

"Ok." She advanced to the very centre of the circle, with Tidus observing curiously as he rubbed his aching neck.

In her hand was a long thin azure staff, she began raising it aloft slowly as she held her arms outstretched about her. Gradually she brought the staff down clutching it tightly to her chest once more.

Suddenly she took a step back. The blitzer recoiled as the ground beneath her erupted in an explosion of intense light. He watched in sheer amazement as she stood prone, the light rotating around her fluidly in a pink hue. Picking up speed somewhat energetically, the glowing ring shot great streams of light up into the highest limits of the sky. The emitted beams met in a terrific blast, tearing a tremendous hole in the stratosphere.

The sky seemed to shudder as something approached within it.

In a flash an almighty creature burst through the clouds, soaring like a speeding bullet. Tidus gawked with wide eyes as the great beast hovered over the summoner, blowing her hair back with every mighty swish of its wings. With a dull rumble it landed just before her. It seemed to the blitzer to be some kind of giant dragon bird. It had a long serpentine neck that led down to its deep beak-like face, and upon its huge feet were the most formidable claws he'd ever seen.

The summoner stretched her welcoming hand up to meet it. The beast seemed to purr in a deep guttural tone as it lowered it head down to her. The crowd watched enthralled, gasping in awe as she laid her hand upon the red plumage that resided upon the creature's neck. It nuzzled her hand willingly as her fingers passed through the shimmering feathers.

The summoner removed her hand and turned back to the crowd as they showered her in an ecstatic sea of praise, all clapping and cheering excitedly. Fuelled with a beaming grin Wakka rushed from the blitzer's side along with the female guardian from the trials. Both of them congratulated her energetically, proud of her great achievement.

Amidst the dynamic cries of the joyous crowd, Tidus managed to decipher a name: Valefor. This was the blitzer's first encounter with an _aeon_.

_"I'd never seen anything like it in my life._

_Sure, it was pretty scary, but still…  
I could feel a strange kind of gentleness coming from it."_

Tidus watched in stupefied amazement as the magnificent aeon rose from the ground and soared away over the temple at the summoner's bidding, before disappearing completely.

_"I remember…  
That night we talked for the first time._

_I didn't know it then, but after that night, everything changed._

_For everyone...  
For me…"_

Night had fallen in Besaid village.

A great fire blazed now, in the spot in which the summoner had called the aeon. About it, the villagers were now gathered all discussing and contemplating the great feat their new summoner had accomplished.

Tidus gazed up into the newly star filled sky; the encounter with the aeon was still hot on his mind.

"Let me introduce you to the team." Wakka said hauling the blonde forward before his boys. "This guy wants into the tournament so bad I let him on the team!" he bluffed mischievously, omitting the all-important detail that he'd literally forced the young blitzer to join them. "His memory's a little fuzzy so don't mind him if he says anything odd! Go on, say hi!" he shoved Tidus nearer to them bluntly.

"Um…hi guys." The blonde hailed rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

The team gladly returned the gesture, along with their names: Datto, Letty, Jassu, Botta and Keepa A.K.A the Besaid Aurochs.

Tidus grinned, time to test them… "So _what's_ our goal?" he quizzed boldly placing his hands on his hips.

"TO DO OUR BEST!" They chanted ardently clenching their fists with enthusiasm.

Tidus laughed quietly with a mild scoff, as he turned his head to the side.

"No, we got a new goal now!" Wakka interrupted. "Our new goal is VICTORY! To win every match, to defeat every opposing team, to bring the Crystal Cup back to our island. That's all we gotta do to win, easy, ya?"

"Victory?" they murmured, looking at each other momentarily.

The penny finally dropped. If they believed they could win, they could do it! Instantly they began chanting "VICTORY!" over and over, with as much vigour as the Abes did.  
Tidus would've been proud… well he would've been proud, if he was paying attention.  
Despite the fact that this was what he'd wanted the Aurochs to do all along, he couldn't stop his attention from being diverted.

Somehow his cerulean eyes found their way over the great crackling flames of the fire. Instantly his gaze singled out the young summoner, she was sat away to the side speaking in length with two elderly people and a young child. No matter how much the loud urges of "VICTORY!" echoed in his ears, his eyes always found their way back to her. Inquisitively he stared, watching as her skin shimmered illustriously in the orange glow of the fire.

In the corner of her bright eye, she caught sight of him observing in the distance. She greeted him with a sweet smile over the top of her drinking cup, miming a demure "Hi."

"We sure got the boys worked up huh?" Wakka breathed excitedly as the roars of victory ceased.

The young blitzer didn't reply.  
He wasn't there.

Tidus' itching feet were already pacing their way towards her.

"You heathen!" the elderly man cried from the summoner's side as the blitzer got within close proximity.

His transgression hadn't been forgotten for _that_ long then….

The old woman also passed her bitter dark glare in Tidus' direction "Stay away from the summoner!" she warned.

"You're a bad man!" the little girl with them added.

Suddenly the summoner rose to her feet.

The old man gasped "Lady Yuna be careful!"

The summoner smiled "But it was really my fault…to begin with…" she said in a melodiously soft tone.

Turning, she approached the blitzer with a virtuous glint in her unique dual eyes. "I'm Yuna." She said, clasping her hands together against her chest. "Thank you so much for your help earlier."

"Huh?" the blitzer voiced as if he was breaking out of a daydream. He realised what she meant…the trials…"Oh, er sorry about that! Wasn't that-?… Wasn't I not supposed to-?… Guess I kinda overreacted!" he said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh no!" she corrected lightly with a shake of her head "I was…overconfident…"

Yuna cast her shimmering gaze down to the dark ground as the blitzer fought desperately within himself for something to say. He'd never been stuck for words like this before; usually he could strike up a conversation without even thinking.

"Erm… I saw that aeon thing." He blurted out. "That's amazing!"

Yuna looked up to him, her face alight with elated joy. "_Really_?" she breathed.

He nodded, genuinely lost for words as she edged closer to him.

"Do you think I can become _high_ summoner?" she inquired curiously at the blitzer's sudden interest in her arts.

Despite the fact that Tidus didn't know the difference between a high summoner and the regular kind, he felt his head nodding as vigorously before.

A sweet gasp of delight sounded from her lips as she viewed his positive response.

"Lady Yuna! Come play with me some more!" the little girl from earlier rushed over and tugged on the summoner's garments ever so gently.

Yuna bent to her height and stroked the child's dark hair with a soft smile of agreement. With a giggle of glee the girl ran off to the other side of the village eagerly awaiting the summoner.

Yuna turned back to the blitzer "So…_tomorrow_ then…" she voiced softly with an enigmatic twinkle in her eye.

"_Tomorrow_?"

"We're going on the same boat, aren't we?"

The blitzer scratched his head bewildered, "Oh, really?" no one had mentioned this boat to _him_.

"We can…_talk_ more…" Yuna confirmed backing away demurely.

Tidus made a noise of agreement as she and her searching gaze turned away.

"You can…tell me all about Zanarkand…" she concluded before disappearing over to the other side of the fire.

Tidus watched her as she wandered from him slowly, before taking her seat again. He was somewhat taken aback by the sudden playful tone her voice had adopted…was she trying to _flirt_ with him?…

"She's cute, ya?" Wakka nudged the blitzer with his elbow. The grinning islander had been watching them chatting from afar.

Tidus didn't flinch "Yeah…" he admitted honestly, not taking his eyes from her form.

"Don't get no ideas!" Wakka warned.

"No promises _there_, big guy!" Tidus retorted waggling his eyebrows mischievously. "Hey, but what if _she_ like, comes onto _me_?"

Wakka glimpsed sidelong at the blitzer "That's not going to happen..." he murmured quietly.

"Huh?" Tidus turned to him surprised.

"If you get tired let me know! I gotta bed made for you!" the islander replied brightly. "Come to think of it…" he said looking at his watch "…maybe it _is_ your bed time! We gotta get up early tomorrow!"

Without waiting for a reply Wakka shoved Tidus into the inn, the place in which the blitzer had met the Crusaders. There was no one inside as the pair entered.

"Take your pick!" the islander enthused pointing to the array of soft beds before them.

Tidus chose the nearest and slumped down upon it raggedly, it had indeed been a long day…

"Make sure you get enough sleep, we're up for 6:30 tomorrow." Wakka confirmed over the top of him.

"_6:30?_" Tidus exclaimed, sitting up with a start.

Wakka laughed heartily at the blitzer's adverse reaction "6:30 on the dot! He enthused, beaming evilly.

With a chuckle he left Tidus to it. The blitzer slammed his head down on the feather pillow…"6:30!" he thought. The blonde hoped that Wakka was going to come and wake him up, because he'd never got up _that_ early before, not ever!

Slowly the blitzer passed into the land of nod, only to be plagued by his uneasy dreams once more…

In the hazy world of his subconscious mind, he found himself back on Besaid beach. The white sand stretched out behind him as he sat cross-legged upon the wooden planked pier. Pushing himself to his feet he paced to the furthest end rapidly.

Yuna was waiting for him. The wind blew the rich brown tresses from her face as she gazed longingly out to sea.

"Where's that boat?" Tidus inquired staring out over the tranquil ocean.

"Everyone will find us, if it doesn't come soon…" Yuna replied solemnly.

The blitzer scratched his head nervously "You really sure this is ok?"

She turned to him; her searching eyes filled with an unrelenting urge "Would _you_ take _me_ to Zanarkand?"

"Hey! You said you were taking _me_!" Rikku suddenly appeared from behind him, folding her arms in frustration.

"Oh…hi…I…erm…" Tidus stammered.

"I thought Wakka told you not to get any ideas?…" the Al Bhed frowned.

"He _did_?" Yuna breathed, looking away.

"Er…" Tidus tried his best to intervene.

"Yeah, so you're coming with _me_!" Rikku confirmed grabbing the blitzer's arm.

"Hey! Stop dreaming!" An austere voice demanded from behind.

Tidus spun around startled, he recognised the tone instantly.

"_You_ with a woman? You can't even catch a _ball_!" the voice jeered mockingly.

The blitzer cowered beneath his father's shadow; he was seven years old again, seven years old and afraid.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Jecht quizzed sarcastically "Gonna _cry_ again? _Cry_, _cry_; that's the only thing you're _good_ for!" he antagonised bitterly with spite.

Tidus' eyes were bolted to the wooden platform beneath his feet, daring not to stare up at his father. "I hate you…" he murmured.

"_What_ did you say?" Jecht growled maliciously.

"You have to speak loudly." Yuna assured, staring softly toward the young blitzer.

Tidus clenched his tiny fists, he forced his head upward to stare hard at the manifestation of all his loathing. "I hate you!" he cried.

"Eh?" Jecht leaned forward, straining to hear.

"That's the spirit!" Rikku enthused jumping up and down on the spot, energetically praising Tidus' bravery.

Yuna smiled gleefully "You can do it!"

The blitzer took a deep breath, growing bitter with venomous wrath "I HATE YOU!"

Tidus sprung up to a seated position, panting heavily. The dream was so vivid that he'd actually screamed the words out loud. Feeling his heart beating rapidly in his chest, the blitzer glanced around to see if he'd woken anyone up with the tumult. Luckily he was alone that night, the whole place would've been awake otherwise with the sheer volume of his scream!

"He's _dead_, ok? _Dead_!" a female voice proclaimed darkly. It was coming from outside.

Tidus pushed himself to his feet and headed for the doorway. Pulling the curtain back marginally, he peeked outside. Before him, stood by the fire were the female guardian from the trials and Wakka. They were deep in discussion, which Tidus had only caught the middle of.

"He does look a lot like Chappu… I was surprised too, the first time I saw him." The woman claimed. "But no matter _what_ he looks like, he _isn't_ Chappu!" she snapped with contempt "You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place!" Her ruby eyes were seething with rage as they passed their striking glance upon the defenceless Wakka.

"But he needed our help!…" the islander argued weakly.

"Excuses _again_?" she growled.

"But-"

"That's _it_! No more!" she interrupted malevolently "_Enough_ Wakka!" she turned her back on him and marched away.

"_Lu_!" he called after her. The female ignored the redhead and stormed off up to the temple.

Wakka let his shoulders sag sorrowfully as she passed out of sight. Shaking his head he began shuffling slowly towards Tidus' hut, sighing deeply.

Immediately the blonde let the curtain fall from his grasp. He lingered there in the doorway pondering on their words, before Wakka could enter. Who _was_ this _Chappu_?

The curtain flung back suddenly as Wakka stepped over the threshold. He let go a cry of alarm when he nearly bumped into the blonde leaning casually against the door-post.

"Sca-ry!" Tidus hissed, hinting back to the dark haired woman.

Wakka didn't reply, nor did he move.

"So…" the blonde inquired folding his arms "…who's _Chappu_?"

"My little brother, Cha-ppu." Wakka corrected morosely "He looked like you."

"He's _dead_?…"

Tidus followed with a dispirited start as Wakka proceeded to the back of the room. Suddenly it all made sense. This was the reason why Wakka and the female guardian had stared at the blitzer in such stunned disbelief when they first laid eyes on him, he looked like Chappu, Wakka's dead brother.

The islander sat himself on the bed next to Tidus'; his face was a picture of downhearted grief.

"He was in the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year…. He didn't make it…" He explained dismally, gazing down at his hands with blank expression "… I first heard on the day of the tournament…"

"Oh, so that's why…" Tidus breathed quietly. Chappu's death was the reason Wakka couldn't focus when he played that match last year.

"I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?" Wakka stated.

"_Revenge_, then?"

"That was the idea…" the islander sighed rubbing his forehead. "I'm more worried about a stupid game now, then avenging my brother."

Tidus listened intently as the redhead poured his heart out. He promised himself he would win the cup for the Aurochs, no matter what the odds; Wakka more than deserved it.

"Well, after the tournament, I become a guardian full-time. I know it kinda looks like I'm using you…" Wakka said, letting his head sink back down melancholically "…but I'm not…"

"Don't worry!" Tidus assured "I mean, I owe you a lot. You really helped me out y'know. What I mean is…" he stood up and offered his hand to the redhead "…thanks, Wakka."

The islander raised his head hopefully and reached for the blitzer's hand. He stopped suddenly as a wry smirk pulled at his mouth.

"Stop!" he said, batting Tidus' arm away with a nervous giggle "You're embarrassing me!"

The young blitzer laughed, Wakka was made of tougher stuff than he thought.

The pair of them talked well into the night, mostly about blitz of course. Speaking with the bulky blitzer made Tidus realise what a genuine guy Wakka was, he was considerate, though a bit dopey at times; but that's what his character was like. Although he was quick to judge, and took instant dislikes, Wakka was a generally kind hearted person: the type of which was rare in Zanarkand.

To be continued…

_AN: Konnichi wa! Hope you like this chapter despite the few changes I made in the cloisters. Oh, and I hope the first conversation with Yuna was good enough for you, I now how much you love your characters!_

_Sorry to those who were expecting love at first sight, it doesn't happen in the game so I'm left it out of my story…'til much later of course!_

_Tune in next week when the pilgrimage begins! Aaahh I can't wait! Laters!_

_Vogue Star_

_Review me please!_


	5. Journey's Start

_First of all a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Hope u like this chappie!_

_Disclaimer_: _I do not own ffx/ffx-2 or the characters in them._

Chapter 5: Journey's Start.

Tidus awoke sleepily, the barrage of uneasy dreams he experienced that night, still echoed hazily in his mind. Bright streams of early morning sunlight greeted him warmly from the half-parted curtains, as he lay there motionless. Sluggishly he reached up and rubbed his bleary blue eyes: getting up wasn't something he usually looked forward to.

He heaved himself from the soft warm bed ruefully, letting the morning air sting his once sleepy limbs. Adjusting his wayward hair back to its usual shaggy style he rose to his feet. There was no one about; he'd slept in the inn, alone.

With a final brief stretch, he began to approach the door; the airy island breeze met him gladly as he passed under the thick curtain.

Immediately the blitzer's eyes clapped onto Wakka and the female guardian. They were standing at the very centre of the village, where the blazing fire had once been.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" Wakka proclaimed with a whimsical smile as the blitzer emerged.

Tidus grinned sheepishly; guess that early morning sun wasn't that _early_ after all…

Wakka reached behind his back as the blitzer halted before them "Somethin' I wanna give you."

The young blitzer's eyes widened immensely as he beheld the object in the islander's hand "Whoa!" he exclaimed letting his shoulders sag in awe.

Within Wakka's grasp was the most spectacular weapon Tidus had ever laid eyes upon.

It was a mighty sword similar in style to the one the blonde had received from Auron: that was apparently a _gift_ from Jecht. But _this _sword was a thousand times cooler and looked a thousand times stronger. The blade surface shimmered in a magical cerulean sparkle that resembled a pool of glittering water to the naked eye. The sun flickered dazzlingly upon its curved tip as Tidus ran his eyes along the razor sharp edge. It truly was an incredible weapon.

"You're giving _this_ to _me_?" the blitzer voiced astounded.

"Yeah." Wakka confirmed with a sombre nod "Use it well."

Gratefully Tidus received the sturdy leather bound hilt in his gloved palm. To his surprise, the weight of the weapon was far less superior than he'd expected. He smoothed his fingers slowly over the adamantine steel; the etchings of an embossed word scored his hand, _'Brotherhood'_… its name.

Slowly the blitzer lifted the sword aloft before swinging its form down aggressively. It rang majestically through the air, resounding like the chime of a single silver bell. Such powerful force it possessed, a fearsome power that lingered within it, a strength that would make the beast on the other end feel the extent of its wrath.

"That's the sword you gave Chappu." The female guardian voiced quietly.

Tidus jerked his head round to Wakka in alarm. He was half set on giving it back, before the redhead spoke.

"Well, he never used it." The islander confirmed.

The woman didn't reply.

"Where's Yuna?" Wakka inquired lightly changing the subject as briskly as he could.

They glanced watchfully toward the temple in answer.

"We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right?" Tidus questioned as he slid the Brotherhood in the scabbard of his old sword on his back, it was a perfect fit. It was just as well, because his last encounter with Sin lost his previous sword. Not that he was bothered, just having something associated with Jecht near him perturbed him to the point of no return.

"Why do we gotta wait here?" the blitzer continued. He was keen on getting a move on, he'd already got up late; and he didn't want to be blamed for missing this boat either. Anyway, couldn't Yuna meet them there?

Wakka looked back to Tidus, a somewhat solemn air of reminiscence resounded in his voice as he spoke, "Yuna came to this village ten years ago when the last Calm started." he said.

The blitzer's brows furrowed, "The _Calm_?" he inquired puzzled.

"Since then, she's been like a sister to me and Lulu." Wakka continued, ignoring the blitzer's bewildered question. "But she had the talent…she became an apprentice. Now, today, she leaves as a summoner."

"This is _our_ journey. We should leave together." The woman concluded; the woman that Tidus now knew was named Lulu. Her deep voice had somewhat warmed from its icy temperament the night before. Yet, still there was that menacing glint in her ruby eyes that warned the blitzer to beware.

Just at that moment there was a ruckus up at the temple. The three of them turned to behold the newly born summoner laden with the most enormous suitcase they'd ever seen. She toiled with its cumbersome weight as she flipped it down the steps bluntly.

"You really don't need all that luggage." Lulu called raising her dark eyebrows.

"They're not really my things." Yuna answered softly heaving the tan case up to its full height "Th-they're gifts for the temples we're to visit."

"This isn't a vacation Yuna." Wakka chided lightly, placing his hands on his hips.

"I guess…" the summoner stared at the case with some distance "I guess you're right…" she agreed with a conclusive sigh.

She approached the others slowly, now with only her azure staff in her possession.

"Ok! Off we go!" Wakka took the lead as the others followed him to the village gate.

Yuna followed gradually for a moment, before she hesitated, stopping dead suddenly as if she'd walked in to an imaginary wall. She turned slowly to behold the temple once more. Letting its mighty structure fill the masses of her glorious dual eyes, she breathed a deep breath of the weighty air. Stepping back, she made the prayer of Yevon, taking her time to keep the temple within her sights.

In the meantime Tidus and the others had reached the village entrance posts. The blitzer turned, surprised to see that Yuna hadn't followed. He looked back to her as she bent reverently in prayer to the temple. This world was so bizarre to him, with strange customs to match. Yevon was something the people here adhered to resolutely. Religion was a concept that the blitzer had never paid much attention to, as a matter of fact it wasn't common practice in Zanarkand at all.

All of this…it was something he'd have to get used to…for now…

After ripping her longing gaze from the temple Yuna caught up to the others. Together they proceeded to the village slope that led up to the flat promontory. It didn't take long however for the tranquil serenity to be disturbed. The fiends were up too and they were raring to go.

A wild dingo sprang before the group suddenly; it'd lingered watchfully in the dense island shrubbery, waiting for the right moment to attack. Curling its lip back, it leered voraciously, hoping a tasty meal would soon be on the agenda.

Wakka plunged his way towards it, halting its hungry advances. Tidus followed suit and stood prone before it; the long strings of saliva seeped from its gaping jaws as it eyes them deeply with its canine glare.

Instantly it darted forward launching an attack for the blitzer's ankle. Tidus zipped out of the way with ease as its empty jaws clasped the air. Enraged by its failure the creature spun around growling severely from its shuddering throat.

"Hey, why don't you try out that new sword I gave you?" Wakka suggested, backing away with a wry grin. He figured that by the way he was shaping, Tidus could handle the beast alone.

The blonde concurred and released the Brotherhood from the sheath upon his back. It rang through the air gracefully as the blitzer brought it down slowly before him. Tidus could've sworn he saw a glint of fear shine over the crazy fiend's maniacal eyes.

Roaring like a demon it charged toward him with it mouth slobbering, fully aligned with razor sharp teeth. Tidus skipped away as it made another desperate lunge for him; the creature lacked the speed and the wit to engage in any other form of attack.

It didn't have time to attack once more…

In the instant that the fiend passed by him, Tidus flipped around swiftly driving the tremendous blade down upon the creature's neck. The dingo was carved in two with a single clean cut; the formidable work of the Brotherhood was plain to see.

"No problem!" Tidus proclaimed as he watched the battered form of the dead fiend dissipate into nothing.

"Not too shabby! You kept up with him pretty well!" Wakka complemented from the sidelines. "Might make a good guardian one day!" he added with a cheeky grin.

Yet the grunts of the enraged dingo had attracted far too much attention than they'd bargained for. It wasn't long before they were assailed yet again.

A smoky blue bird fiend shot down from the trees; it plummeted down towards them at a terrifying speed aiming its long splayed beak at any potential target. A wide grin passed over the redhead's face as he beheld the small hovering creature; it was no bigger than the blitzball under his arm.

"A flyer!" the islander confirmed gleefully "My kind of customer!"

Tidus watched slightly humoured as Wakka flung the ball toward the unsuspecting bird. It whacked the fiend square on the beak, sending it colliding back to where it came from with a momentous crash.

The blonde contorted his face trying to fight back the laughter, "You fight with a _blitzball_?" he quizzed as the redhead stooped to reclaim his fallen weapon.

"'Course! Why not?" Wakka refuted brightly, not picking up on what Tidus found funny.

The young blitzer blinked as he thought a while. He shrugged his shoulders in reply…fighting with a ball _did_ kinda make sense when he thought about it, especially with aerial enemies. There was no way Tidus could've taken down that bird with a sword, even though he was quick to react. Aim would be pretty precise also with a ball he supposed and the power you could generate with a blitzball was unbelievable in the water…he cold imagine the power Wakka could generate in the air…it would be astonishing at times he guessed…

The four of them pressed on up the dry dusty slope. It wasn't long before the promontory came into sight, but the fiends weren't going to make it easy for them to get there.

Out of nowhere plopped yet another fiend. This time it was rather peculiar. Its body was formed out of what seemed to be a translucent blue jelly substance that wobbled all over sloppily when it moved.

"That looks like trouble…" Wakka said, eyeing its strange jagged features dubiously.

Tidus rushed over "Heh! Watch this!" he sped up to the sluggish looking fiend brandishing the fearsome Brotherhood blade.

He swung it a full speed, aiming a hit for the creature's middle. There was a slimy squelch as the sword passed under the fiend's skin.

"What the-?" Tidus tugged hard on the blade hilt, the sword was stuck solid. The glutinous substance inside the fiend had sucked the blade in like a vacuum. Retrieving the weapon was impossible.

The blitzer frowned darkly as the creature grimaced at his feeble attempts to recover the blade. Still he wrenched, as the fiend began to wibble from side to side frantically as if it was having some kind of mad hissy fit.  
Tidus had to learn the hard way.

A tremendous blast of ice cold water spewed out from the creature's body, catching the blitzer off guard. The sheer pressure of the momentous spray threw the blonde onto his back abruptly.

Tidus sat up suddenly; infuriated that a creature that looked more like a dessert than a fiend, had out done him.

"Told ya!" Wakka beamed standing over him "Only magic can beat that thing! If you can't beat 'em down, you gotta use magic of an element they don't like!"

"_Magic_? _Element_?" The blonde rose to his feet, bewildered yet again. Magic was a thing he'd only heard of in fairytales.

"Let's have our black mage show you what I mean!" Wakka replied looking back. The girls had held back as the boys had proceeded taking the fiends out in their path. "Lu! You're up!" the islander shouted.

Lulu rushed towards them clutching a strange pink teddy in her arm, a moogle doll. Tidus hadn't thought she was the type to carry around teddy bears. Little did he know that the small plush doll was the key to her powers.

"Clueless, aren't you?" she sighed upon arrival "Good thing I'm here."

Hurriedly she explained the arts of black magic to the apparently _clueless_ blitzer. He got the gist of it quickly; there were four main elements; fire, ice, lightning and water. Fire and ice were opposed, as were lightning and water. The fiend they were dealing with was water, of course…which meant…

Lulu focused her energy upon the jibbering blue shape before her. Raising her free arm, she unclasped her fist. The blitzer watched enthralled with amazement as crackling bolts of electric blue lightning darted from her fingertips. They burst into the creature, setting it ablaze in an electrical storm. The fiend writhed in pain before melting away to nothing, leaving only Tidus' sword on the dry ground.

The blitzer couldn't help but gasp at the extraordinary display of power that Lulu showed. He'd never seen anything like it in his life…there were new surprises waiting for him where-ever he went in this Spira…deep inside he could sense there was more to come…

Getting over his stunned disposition, Tidus sauntered over to obtain his weapon; it still steamed from its previous encounter with the thunderous inferno.  
He grasped it with both hands.

_Bzzzzzzt_

"Ow!" Instantly the blitzer sprang up, hopping up and down on the spot, shaking his arms as the buzzing shock ran up them sharply.

Wakka crouched over watching him in a sudden fit of hysterics, laughing loud and clear.

"Ha ha, very funny, Wakka!" Tidus frowned "You could've warned me!"

"What and miss all the fun?" the islander giggled.

Lulu passed by them with a perturbed sigh; she mounted the flat promontory and stood by the side where the loose fencing was. Yuna joined her in watching over the village with a distant gaze.

"Take your time." The black mage voiced solemnly.

Yuna complied and let her eyes linger on her island home a little while longer.

Wakka and Tidus caught up slowly.

"Let's got goin', man!" the blonde said, as he saw them all standing around in a daze.

"No." Wakka replied seriously, folding his arms. "We're gonna wait." He sure had gotten over the humour fast; his face was now completely solemn.

"Huh?" Tidus didn't understand. Why wait? And for what?

Yuna turned away from the side, tearing her thoughts from the sleepy village.

"Are…you ready?" Wakka voiced, he sounded edgy all of sudden.

"Hmm." She nodded in reply, before striding past him slowly.

Tidus noticed immediately the strange stare the Lulu and Wakka shared at that moment…what did it mean? "What's er… goin' on?" he inquired totally disconcerted.

The pair didn't reply, and merely moved their attention to the cylindrical obelisk, the one Tidus had seen before.

"It's an ancient custom…People leaving the island pray here for a safe trip…" Wakka explained letting his fingers run over the deeply carved rock surface. "Chappu didn't pray that day…said he'd miss his boat…" The pain was evident in the islander's eyes as he uttered those words.

Tidus understood immediately that now was _his_ time to pray, despite the fact that he knew nothing of the ways of Yevon, he felt it was necessary just this once…  
He joined them as they kneeled in reverence to the bizarre object, sure Tidus felt a little stupid worshipping a piece of rock…but he put up with it, for Wakka's sake.

As the others knelt in silent prayer in front of him, the blitzer couldn't stop his curiosity from taking over. He hadn't seen what was down the _other_ path that they were to take. The one _he_ came up on was the one from the lagoon, where Wakka held him captive 'til he agreed to join the Aurochs. Edging away from the others Tidus wandered on eager to see what was on the other side of the hilltop.

As he passed down onto the new path, the blitzer beheld a wide lane that stretched out before him. Above the mid section of this pathway was another huge ruin, that shadowed the dry ground with its tremendous form. It looked almost spidery with its thick solid struts that reached down from its sides, embedding themselves firmly into the sides of the path.

Tidus eyed the building inquisitively letting the sweet tuneful birdsong from the nearby trees fill his ears with its peaceful resonance. Gazing upwards, his glance latched onto something else, a dark figure crouched high upon the structure. He could feel the roving yellow eyes search him suspiciously from the distance as he stood there.

Suddenly the figure rose up to its full height growling with venomous wrath toward the heavens. Before the blitzer could even think of reacting, it charged down toward him, leaping brutally from strut to strut with unbelievable crazed agility. In a flash is burst down over him, its eyes wild with a savage rage, its arms open ready to snap shut upon him.

Tidus jumped back just in time as the creature hit the ground with an earth shattering bang. He recognised it immediately in the full light; it was the blue creature from the trials! The blitzer gawked in stunned disbelief as the beast crouched pulsating with rage before him.

Its monstrous hands buckled and jarred as it carved its razor like claws aggressively through the ground. The gnarled fingers curled in towards the mighty palms of its hands forming two gigantic fists. With a tremendous surge of anger the beast smashed them into the solid ground making the very earth shudder beneath Tidus' feet. The muscles upon its body seemed to heave and swell with outright rage as it seethed on the spot.

The blonde stood his ground and stared in stunned silence; this looked bad…yet he had done nothing to provoke the creature in behaving this way…

Suddenly in a colossal display of power the beast unfurled its arms letting fly the greatest ear-splitting roar imaginable, revealing its terrifyingly huge fangs. This meant trouble…

It lunged towards the blitzer; its eyes were alight with the hunger for battle. Tidus couldn't dodge this onslaught so easily…he was too slow…

The creature grappled with the blitzer's collar, raising him high above its head. If its aim was to make Tidus look puny it had succeeded with flying colours. The blitzer squirmed within its tight grasp.

"Lemme go!" he demanded wriggling in annoyance.

The feline face before him sobered suddenly, could it understand?….

Growling through gritted teeth the creature let the blitzer fall in a heap upon the floor.

"Hey! Watch it!" Tidus warned rubbing his back. He failed to take note of the mighty long shafted spear the creature had pulled from its back… This was far from over…

It thrust the shining spear tip down upon him aiming for his throat. Tidus restrained the heaving blue arms weakly as the glittering point edged nearer to his skin.

"That's enough!"

The blonde heaved a sigh of relief hearing the voice of Wakka intervene from behind, saving his bacon completely. The beast ceased its actions immediately and clasped the spear to its back once more. The thick white plaits that fell at either side of its head swished as it shook its head gravely in disapproval. Wakka patted the beast on the arm reassuringly as he approached; it turned and marched off further down the path in an aloof fashion, without a sound.

The islander hauled Tidus to his feet.

"What's with _that_ guy?" the blonde panted completely flummoxed as he dusted himself off.

They all watched as the creature disappeared into the distance without so much as a glance backwards.

"Kimahri Ronso of the Ronso tribe." Lulu explained "He's learned the fiends' way of fighting."

"That's not what I meant!" Tidus frowned folding his arms.

"He's another of Yuna's guardians." Wakka chipped in.

"Huh?"

Yuna laughed at the blitzer's bewildered disposition "Sometimes we don't understand him either!" she said with a bright smile "Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway… But he has protected me since I was a child."

"Oh…" the blonde nodded…maybe that was the explanation for Kimahri's defensive behaviour. _'But why protect Yuna from me?' _he wondered.

The others pressed on with Tidus close behind, taking his mind off the violent ambush to admire the gentle scenery that he'd not laid eyes on before.

The entire island was indeed a beautiful place; there was a peaceful aura that surrounded it, a tranquil serenity. There was something charming about the island that took you over once you stepped foot upon it. Maybe it was the pure white sands that stretched smoothly along the long lazy beach. Or maybe it was the iridescent waterfalls that cascaded in sparkling magnificence from the very tallest of hilltops. Whatever it was, it captivated many a person that went there.

Pretty soon the blitzer noticed that the ground under foot was gradually becoming sandier the more he advanced. He came across a familiar junction at the end of the long sweeping pathway, the same junction that Wakka had tricked him on. He followed as the others proceeded onto the white sands of the beach.

As he passed onto the shoreline the blitzer got a rather mild shock…so this was where everyone was. People from the village fluctuated in all directions; they were mostly crowded around the wooded docked area. They almost looked like they were waiting for someone. Tidus soon realised who this person was when the attention immediately spanned in Yuna's direction.

He braced himself for the ecstatic cheers, but there was nothing…

Tidus stared their way confused, they weren't happy to see her at all…if fact they looked rather mortified. It was bizarre to him that they'd got so excited at the prospect of a new summoner and when it came for her to leave for her pilgrimage they were rue to see it. _'Strange' _he thought as Wakka, Lulu and Yuna walked slowly before him.

The villagers made way for them to pass, murmuring words of hope and good fortune disguising the grief in their voices. A number of young children were there also, weeping their poor little hearts out as Yuna passed them by.

The boat lay before them resting against the marina. It was a long wooden vessel that was comprised mostly of a flat plateau that served as a deck. There were rooms below and stairs that led up from the deck to viewing platforms. The blitzer read its name on a burnished red placard: 'SS Liki.'

The young blitzer was the first the board, somehow he found the prospect of getting on the boat rather exciting to say the least, despite the fact he lived one! The others including Kimahri were close to follow. Yuna boarded last after a few final embraces. Tidus observed from the distance as she waved gallantly to the bereaved townsfolk. A good fair few were crying bitterly now, unafraid to show their feelings as the ship was untied from the dock. These people sure were emotional…

The vessel began to slip slowly away from the pier. The people waved desperately, some absolutely flooded with tears. Yuna banished their anguish with a soft smile. She shaped the Yevon prayer to them, yet her promising smile faltered somewhat as she did so. Her face became gravely composed.

"Goodbye."

In a moment the island faded out of view, leading them on over the wide horizon. After he'd acquired some much desired food from the ship's galley, Tidus slouched over the far side looking out over the cerulean sea, feigning to take an interest. The endless blue soon bored him and he turned around striving to find something of more interest to keep him busy. The blonde soon found it.

The Aurochs, who had boarded much earlier than anyone else in their excitement, were practising with a blitzball up at the far end of the ship. Tidus observed them concealing his mirth as they strove to mimic the shot he performed on the beach. Each one of them tried and failed horrifically, landing on their backsides on the hard wooden deck. The blonde was about to get up and give them some pointers, until a sudden utterance by his side caught his attention.

"Come to think of it, I haven't even told you where we're going!" It was Wakka. He laughed briefly at him self for his own stupidity. "First to Kilika Island, then we change boats and head for Luca." The islander folded his arms promptly "'Fore that though, Yuna's gotta pray at the temple. I'll be guarding."

Tidus noted the sudden serious tone in Wakka's voice; he was just as defensive of the young summoner as Kimahri was. _His_ aggression was playful though…wasn't it?

"We'll be praying for the Aurochs' victory too, so you come along, ya?" the redhead continued, lightening again.

"Great plan." A voice complemented caustically.

The two blitzers looked up to see Lulu, the black mage, staring at them exasperatedly with cool eyes.

"Hey, it _is _a great plan!" Wakka retorted letting his eyes fall back to Tidus for his opinion.

"Don't look at _me_!" the blonde cried waving his arms in defence.

Wakka laughed brightly at the blitzer's reaction, before Lulu interrupted his mirth.

"Come, we need to talk." It sounded serious by the way she phrased it.

"Oh, _excuse_ _me_!" the redhead said to the blitzer, as he backed off with a cheeky compliant grin towards Lulu.

The black mage sighed in irritation as she paced away quickly to the other side of the ship. The islander followed her hurriedly, sensing that his mockery had only contributed to her icy temper.

The wooden planks beneath the blitzer's feet sighed; he looked around aimlessly in search of something to occupy himself with. He had a real issue with boredom.

His azure eyes fixed onto the frontal tip of the boat, a small crowd was gathered; all were chatting excitedly to a figure they'd encircled. Tidus stretched to his tiptoes straining to see.

It was Yuna.

The blitzer could just barely make out her radiant face amongst the small sea of heads. He'd wondered a few times where she'd got to…  
She smiled amidst them brightly; accepting the showers of praise that were directed her way. The people were absolutely thrilled to be in her presence, claiming that she would surely defeat Sin!

"They say _that_ summoner's got noble blood!"

Tidus spun round to see two men chatting amongst themselves eagerly beside him. The blitzer listened sneakily as the pair continued to gossip.

"_I_ heard she's Lord _Braska's_ daughter!" the other confirmed energetically.

"Ya don't say?"

"Lord _Braska's_…daughter?" Tidus heard himself inquire without knowing he'd spoken.

The two men nodded firmly in reply.

"Lord Braska's daughter," the first began "she might just have a chance!"

"We'll get her to Kilika, we will!"

Tidus found himself frowning in aggravation, "She _does_ have a name y'know!" he said. "It's Yuna!" He couldn't understand why they referred to her as just the _summoner,_ it was like she wasn't a real person.

"Lady Yuna…" they murmured in unison, not picking up on the irritated tone in the blitzer's voice. Tidus himself didn't know why he'd got so uppity about it…

"Well then, we pray for Lady Yuna's safe passage!" they bowed, making the prayer in her direction before scuttling off to another part of the ship.

_"Lord_ _Braska…"_ Tidus pondered, observing Yuna from the distance; he could've sworn he'd heard the name before…but where?

In search if an answer Tidus went in pursuit of Wakka. It didn't take long for the blonde to find the bulky blitzer. He was still at the other side, now watching the Aurochs play; the little chat with Lulu must've been brief.

"So…" Tidus began as casually as he could, "…is Yuna's father famous or something?"

Wakka looked to Yuna's direction with a small smile "She's the daughter of high summoner Braska. You saw his statue at the temple." He confirmed rolling his foot slowly over a stationary blitzball.

Of course, _that_ was where the name was from! Tidus cast his mind back to when he entered the blue stoned temple, the statue of the mighty robed man that he looked at, the one with the staff…that was Yuna's _father_?

"Lord Braska defeated Sin 10 years ago! Yuna's the heir to a great legacy!" Wakka continued enthusiastically.

Tidus could understand now why the people were so ecstatic to see her, her father was a noted hero. This revelation only made the blitzer think of one thing…_his_ father.

He was embittered to recall his younger years when his father was around. Life was hell for him because of his overly famous parent…if parent was what you could call him. All the agonising unwanted attention that was directed to Tidus; all because of a person he despised.

"It's tough…when you're father's _famous_…" he sighed letting his empathising stare fall upon Yuna delicate form once more.

"Huh?" Wakka looked a tad befuddled.

Lulu smirked, "Wakka's…a bit lacking in the imagination department…" she confirmed.

"Thanks Lulu, I'll keep that in mind!" Tidus laughed as the islander continued to look puzzled.

"Oh yeah, did you talk to Yuna yet?" he said looking Tidus in the eye, "She had some questions for you."

The blitzer shook his head as he turned to face the crowd. To his amazement it had gone. All the people had dispersed completely. Tidus wondered whether it was something to do with Kimahri, who was stood vigilantly at the bottom of the stairwell where Yuna was.

Taking his leave of Wakka, the blitzer strolled over; he could see Yuna at the top of the stairs on a small plateau, looking out to sea with her hair blowing gently about her face. He began to ascend hesitantly wondering what these questions would be.

Yuna heard his approaching footsteps; she met him with a shy smile and moved over demurely so he could rest on the ropes next to her. Upon reaching her position the blitzer yawned loudly, stretching his arms out wide; it was his own way of breaking the awkward silence that existed between them. He leant over the ropes looking out to sea, letting the mild breeze brush his hair about his face.

"The wind… it's nice." Her soft voice uttered suddenly.

The blitzer made a noise of agreement as a bemused smile pulled at his face. Unable to contain himself he began to giggle quietly. He didn't know whether the laughter was due to being nervous or simply because the statement was funny; whatever it was it sure tickled him.

Yuna took his humour in good spirit; she joined in, giggling briefly. She realised it was a strange way to start a conversation.

The laughter died down to nothing as the blitzer calmed. Despite the fact that the statement had broken the ice between the somewhat, Tidus found himself lost for words once more. He turned to the side away from her feeling rather embarrassed that a cat had got his tongue all of a sudden. He had no idea what had come over him.

"You're a blitzball player, aren't you? From Zanarkand, right?" Yuna asked softly, leaning over to catch a glimpse of his face.

"You hear that from Wakka?" he inquired turning to face her.

She nodded.

"Wakka… Wakka doesn't believe me at all!" he sighed leaning back on the ropes glumly. He recalled the Aurochs' first reaction when he met them on the beach. They thought he was crazy, saying he came from Zanarkand.

Yuna backed away from him shyly with her hands behind her back, "But…_I_ believe you."

"Huh?" He looked up to her surprised. Why did she, a revered summoner of all people, believe him?

Yuna smiled slowly, her dual eyes clouded over as if she was lost in some distant fond memory "I've heard, …in Zanarkand there's a _great_ stadium all lit up, even at night! Great blitzball tournaments are held there and the stands are always full!"

Tidus sprang up with a start "How do you know _that_?" he blurted out completely aghast. She knew _his_ Zanarkand? _How_?

"A man named _Jecht_ told me." She confirmed with bright innocence "He was my father's guardian."

The blitzer staggered back from her in shock. " Je-… Jecht…" he murmured in disdain, the word that repulsed him every time he spoke it. He turned to face the sea once more…this just had to be impossible…

Yuna blinked at his adverse reaction, wondering if she had said something wrong…

"My father…" Tidus said brimming with inward contempt "…his name is _Jecht_."

The brunette gasped "Amazing!" she prayed in thanks excitedly before rushing to his side. "You know our meeting like this must be the blessing of Yevon!" she gushed.

Tidus turned away, screwing his face up "Sounds like him…but it _can't_ be him!" he said. He was adamant in believing that this wasn't true, that this was all a coincidence and this _Jecht_ was a different person all together.

"Why not?" she asked.

"My old man… he died… Ten years ago off the coast of Zanarkand…" the blitzer explained slowly.

Yuna flinched looking away. "I'm sorry…" she whispered.

"He went out to sea for training one day…and never came back." Tidus continued "And no one's seen him since then…" he said straightening up.

A small gasp escaped the summoner's lips suddenly. She turned to meet him with a look of sheer delight "Why that's the day that Jecht came to Spira!" she breathed.

Tidus attempted to come up with another excuse but she stopped him.

"It's true! I first met Jecht ten years and three months ago!" she said enraptured "I remember that was the day…my father left… The date fits, doesn't it?"

Tidus laughed nervously, she'd got him "Yeah…but how would he get _here_?" he played his last card, in a dire hope that there would be no answer.

Yuna smiled knowingly "You're _here_, are you not?"

The blitzer stared at her speechless; she'd won. All the facts pointed to this Jecht being Tidus' father, how else would Yuna know everything? He gazed captivated by the surety in her shining dual eyes; nothing was impossible on Spira he realised. Impossibilities happened on a daily basis here.

Suddenly there was a mighty bang that resounded loudly beneath their feet. Everyone onboard gasped in shock as the wooden planks under them began to tremble violently.

Tidus grabbed the summoner by the hand just in time as the boat was carried and tipped up by a gigantic wave. The ocean was taken over by a sudden torrent of explosive rage. Yuna clung on for dear life as the ship veered over almost vertically in the tempestuous mass beneath it, completely throwing her and the rest of the passengers off their feet.

The blitzer struggled to keep his grip as one hand clung desperately to the brunette and the other grasped the ropes at the side. He could see the drastic emotion in her dual eyes as her fingers slipped from his.

With a gasp of horror they separated, Tidus could do nothing but watch her topple down from him to the other side of the boat. In a flash Kimahri was there to catch her in his gigantic arms, preventing her from slipping from the ship entirely. Tidus rushed over to aid them, as did Lulu and Wakka.

Suddenly the vessel moved back up to a horizontal position, a huge shape broke the surface of the water as it did so. It was a gigantic dorsal fin, completely covered in thick armoured scales. A bloodcurdling shriek enveloped the ship as the object came into clearer view…

"SIN!"

People screamed in frenzied hysteria as the colossal mass surged past their tiny boat, violently at close quarters. In a blind panic they rushed around chaotically searching for an escape from the inevitable. Tidus observed their fear with bitter recollection, all this reminded him of Zanarkand and the discord Sin had brought about there. He didn't want it to happen again…

From within Kimahri's grasp Yuna looked on with veiled determination. Sin plunged before them turbulently; its monstrously huge form seemed to mock the minute scale of their ship.

From behind, one of the cabin crew raced forward, almost slipping over in his haste. He gripped onto the ship's only means of defence; the harpoon charged crossbow.

"What are you doing?" Wakka exclaimed as the man aligned to the target. "Stick a harpoon in him and we'll all get dragged under!"

Another crewmember fled top the other side, manning the second crossbow "Sin is going for Kilika! We gotta distract it!" he cried urgently.

"Our families are in Kilika!" the first proclaimed desperately "Forgive us, Lady summoner."

Yuna nodded solemnly, she understood their resolve.

"Wait!" Wakka cried as the crossbow charged back. It was too late. "O boy…"

The harpoons sprang from the bows suddenly aiming a direct hit for the gigantic dorsal fin. Everyone watched in anticipation as they sped off over the waves.

With a tremendous bang, one embedded itself deep into the grey skin surface; the other flew off in the other direction completely missing the target. Pulling taut, the connecting chain yanked the boat forward savagely through the brutal waves. The tide beat down upon every side of the vessel as it tumbled, at the complete mercy of Sin's wroth.

As water blasted down perilously upon the defenceless passengers, a familiar sight filled the evening blue sky. Something was coming; something was plummeting rapidly towards them. Tidus recognised the missiles immediately; they were the same pods from Zanarkand. He unsheathed the hankering Brotherhood as the floods of passengers scrambled to find a means of shelter.

In a moment the pods had landed, gluing themselves to the slippery decking before the blitzer. Cracking open, they revealed the same fiends that had plagued him in Zanarkand, the same fiends that terrorised his home.

Without a second thought he powered his way towards the snarling spine fiends, letting the impervious Brotherhood slash down upon them. In a flash one creature was completely decimated under the power of the mighty sword. Tidus however didn't take the time to calculate the number of them that had landed.

No sooner had one been killed, the whole lot aimed for him clawing and biting. Out of nowhere another launched up onto his back, driving its voracious fangs into the blitzer's shoulder. Tidus yelled out in surprise, flinging the fiend from him. It collapsed in heap on the wet floor, leering through its blood-covered mouth. Kimahri was already there to deliver the death blow, hacking the creature in two with his long shafted spear.

The Ronso turned to deal with the others as Tidus nursed the bleeding wound with his hand. It stung bitterly as it seeped out through his ribbed shirt, but only momentarily…

A pleasurable sensation came over him as the pain began to subside quickly. He gazed through his parted, water-drenched hair, in complete and utter amazement. The wound was _glowing_ in a captivating white hue. The blood completely disappeared from his shirt as the gash closed up in a flash of silver light. He probed his skin suddenly only to find no trace of a wound ever being there.

He looked up completely baffled; his eyes found the answer.

It was Yuna.

Tidus watched in enthralled amazement as the light passed from his arm and returned back to her cerulean staff. She smiled softly as she realised he'd perceived her actions.

The blitzer was stunned into silence… _healing_ magic?  
So aeons weren't her only forte.

He followed as she joined the others. Kimahri and Wakka had finished off the remaining spine fiends whilst Tidus was healing. Now there was only one creature left to deal with; Sin.

"We attack the fin!" Lulu cried placing the pink coloured moogle doll on the floor before her. The others had to watch as she focused her energy on the gigantic triangular form before her. It would be a terrific feat if she could subdue the beast.

The doll mimicked her movement as she raised her arms upwards. Her hands steamed as blazing balls of fire emerged within them. Clasping her palms together, the fires melded with a blistering magical heat. She thrust her outstretched hands towards the fin, the scorching inferno blasted from her in a searing red light.

The fire spell engulfed the fin, completely wreathing it in vehement flames. Yet, the incantation was not enough, the creature had taken no harm. Pretty soon the fire was extinguished leaving the grey scales steaming with plumes of black smoke.

"Wait!" Yuna called stepping forward before a new plan of action could be executed.

The brunette took her staff in her hands as she raised her arms to the heavens. She was summoning.  
In an instant the winged aeon Valefor appeared from the cloudless sky. Tidus staggered back as it descended down upon them, hovering closely.

Taking what seemed like a telepathic command from Yuna, the aeon reared up and plunged its way to the scaled menace. With a powerful drive of its wings, Valefor swooped down upon Sin, slashing its talons through the armoured flesh. The claws however only scored the tough surface. A reaction was now imminent and Sin retaliated in the worst possible way.

The brutal creature heaved on the harpoon chain with almost uncontrollable aggression, causing the ship to collide dangerously with the oncoming waves. With a terrific surge of power, Sin wrenched the chain from the ship. It was free. But it wasn't finished…

With a final display of its shocking strength, the creature unleashed it tremendous tail, raising it to the skyline. It swung it down savagely forcing a frightful mass of water to blast down upon the ship in a bid to wash everyone off board.

As the passengers clung on desperately, the sea began to calm. Kilika Island was in the distance, as were the oblivious civilians. Sin had gone. The fin could be seen racing ahead in a near frantic eagerness.

Kilika was doomed to oblivion. There was nothing that could be done now. The restraint was a failure.

To be continued…

_AN: Hiya! Hope you like this latest instalment. I was looking forward to getting this chapter out of the way because I wanted to get on with the story. Finally, the pilgrimage has begun!__As you may as well know I changed a little bit of the dialogue etc in this chapter. I try not to change too much because I want the story to be as close to the game as possible. The whole idea behind writing ffx was so ffx/ffx-2 fans could reminisce on what emotions they experienced whilst playing. I hope I'm doing the game justice, you guys! Cya! oh, and sorry for making this chapter so long!_

_Vogue Star_

_All reviews appreciated!_


	6. Kilika Port

_Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter, sorry for the delay in updating, you guys!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ffx/ffx-2 or the characters in them._

Chapter 6: Kilika Port.

Hungry for the thrill of carnage, Sin descended down into the depths of the relaxing ocean; its tyrannical onslaught set for the island in its path. Destruction was inevitable. All the passengers aboard the SS Liki could do, was watch and pray for some kind of miracle.

Everything was tranquil as the oblivious villagers returned from a hard day of labouring fruits from the dense island jungle. The sound of children's laughter echoed blissfully through the planked streets of the wooden settlement as the sun began to set, colouring the town a deep orange.

The children played happily, as they usually did with a blitzball on the outskirts of the pier like village. It was set stretching far out from the tree-covered mainland on stilts over the water, a design that was not in their favour...

Slowly the decking underfoot began to vibrate as foreboding tremors trembled their way through the entire village. The sudden disturbance of the peace roused the young children, who dropped the ball with a sharp thud. A tall dark shadow loomed over them out of the depths of the tranquil ocean, blocking out the sun that bled, seeping through the lilac clouds of the evening sky.

Gasping in astonishment, they beheld the solid wall of water. It lingered over the outskirts of the town momentarily, mocking their terrified expectancy. The monstrous scale towered up, nearly scraping the sky. Almost arrogant it seemed, as it waited there, savouring its own power. There was nowhere to run.

Without lingering a second longer, the colossal wave smashed down upon them fiercely. It blasted its way through the defenceless town; consuming all that stood in its path. There was nowhere to hide.

Entire huts, trees, _people_ were whipped up into the blood red sky as the vengeful torrent heaved everything to it, like a mighty vacuum. Piece by piece, the vicious force of the watery menace ripped up the decking, as if it was shredding paper. There was no escape from death.

The tide swelled as a monstrous shape emerged within it, Sin. The phenomenal extent of the creature broke the surface towering over the remains of the savaged town. Its appetite for destruction was not fulfilled yet…

Yuna and the others watched from the painful distance as hundreds of winged creatures swarmed from Sin's exposed shell. As rapid as lightning, the beasts invaded the devastated ruins, annihilating anything hadn't been laid to waste. Sin inhaled once again as the creatures whipped the debris into a deadly cyclone. Amidst the deafening clamour, bloodcurdling screams of horror resonated from the wreckage, stinging the ears of those who heard.

Everything slowed as the tornado churned menacingly above the bulbous head of Sin. The sea calmed about it, it was as if the gigantic creature was relishing in the last moment of carnage, as if creating havoc was an art form.

Gradually the cyclone slowed, throwing the remaining remnants of Kilika port back down to meet the placid surface. Finally, Sin retreated, plunging deep back under the surface, far away from the ruins.

Silence enslaved the resting wreckage as it floated solemnly on the surface of the rippling sea in dismal disarray. The setting sun. It seemed to bleed down upon the sea in a seething blood red hue, painful and twisted. A single blitzball bobbed alongside the saturated driftwood; it was forsaken, alone. The children that had once played happily with it: were no more. The languid waves caressed the ball's smooth surface, their colour now a deep carmine red. Red with the scathing glare of the sun: red with the staining of innocent blood.

The SS Liki drifted closer to the remains of the once beautiful, tropical port. A bitter reticence was thick in the air, as the island became clearer. Tidus observed in the heavy stillness, there were no words that could be spoken, no words that could correct the devastation. His azure gaze met the falling sun, the sheer severity of its deep glare shot sharp pains straight up to his temples. The blitzer had never experienced a light so intense, so fierce; there was no dusk like it. But at that moment, all he could think about was…

_"When Sin attacked Zanarkand, I woke up in Spira.  
I kept hoping it would work in reverse, too…"_

Yuna was stood close by. Her serene face was etched in bitter determination, an emotion that paralleled her grief. The massacre was undoubtedly a heinous sight to behold, and witnessing it happen before her eyes was even worse.

"I _will_ defeat Sin…" She whispered, her grave face highlighted in the cerise glow of the setting sky. "I must defeat Sin…"

Tidus looked on quietly…

_"…I was just fooling myself."_

Everyone lingered motionless in silent woe as the ship pulled in nearer. Some were still trying to catch their breath from the sabotage that happened onboard earlier. Luckily nobody was injured badly. Yet for those in Kilika, it would be a different story…

_"Maybe it was that day…  
on the sea, under the burning sun.  
I started to give up hope._

_I was in a foreign world, I wasn't going home.  
This was my new reality and I was stuck in it for good."_

Slowly but surely, Kilika Island came into close range. It would indeed be a miracle if anything had survived now…but it had.

By some stroke of blind luck, a part of the wooden port still remained; the part closest to the mainland. Joyous cries rang out as it was perceived, along with some straggling villagers. Sure the area hadn't escaped the ferocity of Sin's attack, as many huts were damaged missing their domed straw roofs; but hope was still present.

The boat drew to a halt near the last surviving long platform; Yuna was the first off board.

"Greetings!" she said with a prayer "I am the summoner Yuna. I have come from the temple in Besaid." Her face had adopted its usual serenity, its enigmatic look of resilient…hope.

"M'lady summoner!" a woman exclaimed rushing up the planked deck towards her hurriedly.

"If there is no other summoner here, please allow me to perform the sending." Yuna beseeched solemnly with bow.

"Thanks be to ye!" the woman's husband cried, stepping to her side.

"Our loved ones…" his wife exclaimed with teary eyes "We feared they would become fiends!"

Yuna nodded understandingly "Please, take me to them."

The couple obeyed and led Yuna off some way up the path to the other side, with Lulu and Kimahri close behind her.

Tidus departed from the ship soon after and stood amidst the besieged town's wreckage himself. Why was everything so unfair here? He wondered. Why did sorrow linger so heavily in Spira? He'd never experienced sorrow so often as this, let alone destruction. The sheer magnitude was taking its toll on him, making him feel heavy with the weight it applied despondently to his shoulders. But the people of Spira were so…resilient, he noted looking around. Already the surviving villagers and passengers had started reassembling the ramshackle huts. Spira and its people never ceased to amaze him.

As he stood there, his eyes wandered to where Yuna had once been. He wondered what she was doing…and what was this _sending_ all about?

Wakka in the meantime had already got his stuff together and was ready to help out. "We're going to see what we can do to help in town." He informed as he ran past the young blitzer, with the Aurochs at his heels.

Tidus nodded, he continued onwards along the rickety pathway, shards of wood were strewn everywhere, along with all kinds of debris. Walking amongst the ruin, Tidus didn't know how to feel, whether he should be sad, or even angry. The atmosphere was so strange; he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Slowly he realised where his feet were leading him. He was wandering down the path Yuna had taken shortly before. There was no turning back as his urge to see what she and the villagers was up to, was too strong for him to ignore.

Following the old creaking pathway, he soon found Yuna and her guardians _and_ a small crowd of survivors. The deck on which he stood led down to two lower levels, facing the calm, sun burnt sea. Yuna was at the very bottom near the water's edge, deep in discussion with an elderly man. There were many bouquets floating on the surface, some long shapes lingered beneath the water also.

As before Kimahri was close by on the next level up, surrounded by grief-stricken people. Lulu was on Tidus' platform, watching everything clearly from above. The whole place was lit by several blazing fire torches, what were they planning to do?

"Uh, what's a _sending_? Are we going somewhere?" he asked planting himself next to the black mage.

Lulu sighed deeply in irritation "You truly are clueless." Her stinging crimson gaze eyed him darkly "Are you sure it's just your memory that's the problem?" she quizzed caustically.

Tidus flinched; maybe she wasn't the best person to ask…

"The dead need guidance."

He stared at her sudden utterance.

"Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate." The mage explained, looking down to the water beyond the summoner. "They yearn to live on and resent those still alive. You see; they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate."

Lulu turned to the blonde suddenly, a look unusual certainty showed through her common icy gaze, a look he hadn't seen before.

"Should these souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that prey on the living. Sad, isn't it?" she hinted darkly unable to restrain her temperament.

The blitzer was speechless. His eyes strayed down to the still water. Those weren't just shapes beneath the surface; they were bodies. In the time it had taken the SS Liki to arrive, the townsfolk had recovered the dead and wrapped them lovingly in red ceremonial cloth ready to bid them farewell.

"The _sending _takes them to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace." Lulu concluded hopefully.

"_Summoners_ do this?" Tidus inquired surprised.

The mage nodded solemnly.

The blitzer turned his gaze back to Yuna, her job skills were increasing by the minute, no wonder summoners were revered so. The thought of this _sending_ however made him feel just the slightest bit uneasy. How would she do it?…

Yuna ceased her conversation and advanced over to the edge of the placid water. Her pale face was solemn and temperate in its stare.

She stepped onto the tranquil surface.

Tidus breathed in amazement as the liquid bore her weight. He watched in enchanted awe as she walked effortlessly on the surface of the water, each gliding step creating ripples about her newly bare feet. She halted in the midst of the watery graveyard, the bleeding sun glared down on her hazed silhouette casting its sore light about her.

With the whispering breeze trembling through her glistening hair, she raised her cerulean staff out beside her. Slowly, she revolved in a sweeping circle; her toes skimming the watery surface majestically as the dance began. As she pirouetted gracefully, forming circle over circle, the villager's cries of tear-filled grief resounded bitterly.

The blitzer watched in growing fascination as the summoner commenced her harmonious display of sorrowful splendour. Suddenly she stood prone, her elegant frame highlighted radiantly in the glowing hue of the horizon. Her skin shimmered in a gracious roseate lustre, as the water about her stirred with a sudden burst of life.

Tidus saw them, the kaleidoscopic lights that swam of their own accord beneath the very surface. Slowly they were drawn to Yuna's staff almost like two magnets attracting each other, as she swayed it round and round dextrously between her fingers. Were _these_ the souls Lulu had talked about?

A steady breeze grew rapidly in the air as the streaming lights closed in below her. The wind reached the blitzer, coaxing the blazing torches about him burst into haunting blue flame. Yuna circled again quickly holding her staff aloft. The lights followed her movement, throwing the water into a swirling fountain beneath her feet, raising her from the surface. She continued to pirouette in ethereal grace as the prismatic lights streamed, swirling up and out of the undulating fountain; escaping the watery grave below. Each rotation grew in graceful magnitude, drawing more of the singing lights from the surface and up into the freedom of the sky above.

Tidus watched spellbound, as the _souls_ danced with her in fervent streams of colour; they were free to go to the _Farplane_ now that they had been released from their bodies.

Something stirred from deep within him at that moment as he watched her, something that purged all conscious thought from his mind. Something that drowned out the bitter wails of bereavement, as the people feel to their knees about him.

The same something that glued his hazy captivated eyes to the dancing figure before him, not letting them stray from her. He surveyed everything: the way her illustrious hair swept from her face with every subtle movement…the way her long violet skirt swayed about her so elegantly, the way the last rays of the evening sun painted her a divine iridescent pink atop the dazzling fountain.

Being there at that moment, time seemed to stand still. Tidus felt that he was the only one that remained, as he stared, filled with enthralled fixation at the staggeringly exquisite spectacle. So enchanting, so intense…

In a fading flash it was over, almost as quickly as it had begun. The water slowly lowered the summoner back down to earth with an undulating sigh. Yuna returned to the lower levels clutching her staff loosely. Kimahri as always was close at hand. He watched her with his grave yellow gaze before remunerating her with his close presence.

"It must be tough, being a summoner." Tidus established, catching his breath. The villagers observed Yuna from afar with numbed silence, wiping away the remainder of their tears.

"Yuna chose her own path. She knew from the beginning what it meant." Lulu replied, never taking her pensive stare from the summoner. "All we can do now is protect her along the way. Until the…end."

"Until the…_end_?" The blitzer swung round to her in alarm "What's the _end_?"

Tidus didn't realise just how loud he'd uttered the statement. He soon found out when all turned to set their questionable eyes upon him, including Yuna.

Lulu shook her head, shrugging her shoulders hopelessly. The blitzer really was proving to be entirely clueless.

Without a second glance, the irritable mage advanced toward the summoner "_Until_ she defeats _Sin_." She concluded bluntly, turning back with a tiresome sigh.

Tidus shrugged awkwardly, shifting under the barrage of unwanted attention he was receiving "Oh…" He placed his hands on his hips and kicked himself inwardly for being so dumb. He didn't quite know why he'd questioned Lulu so urgently in the first place!

Before the mage could reach her, Yuna rushed forward "I hope… I hope I did okay…" she voiced softly as she halted before her guardian.

A warm hopeful smile passed over the chilled woman's features "You did very well!" she praised proudly, running her hand through a stray lock of the summoner's hair. "They've reached the Farplane by now. But…no tears next time, hm?"

Yuna sighed quietly, relieved that it was over as the last of her frozen tears trickled down her soft pale cheeks. Lulu still held her loosely within her arms.

Tidus watched the affectionate display with growing torment. He could see the flashes of Yuna's tender despair from the distance.

_"I wished there would never be a next time.  
No more people being killed by Sin.  
No more sendings for Yuna._

_Everyone stood there watching her.  
It was strange, and somehow…horrifying._

_I never wanted to see it again."_

The weighty atmosphere then, almost stifled him. He felt like he was nearly suffocating under the air of thick deep sorrow. The sight of Wakka and the Aurochs was all too welcoming for him.

At the perception of the blitz team, the despondent crowd dispersed leaving Yuna and her guardians behind. Tidus was half expecting them to console the summoner, but no. Yuna's sorrow was indeed short lived, she was beyond sympathy by the time she and her guardians were reunited. The young blitzer wondered at her rapid return to character, it would seem that she was made of tougher stuff than he'd first imagined.

As night fell upon the desolate remains, Tidus found himself being ushered off once again to the remnants of the village inn. By the look of the place, the blitzer could tell this wasn't going to be half as cosy as Besaid.

Surprisingly as he stepped in, the place seemed to be in pretty good condition: sparse, but decent enough for a night's rest. Yet poor Tidus was in for a shock when he perceived the huge tear in the roof of his room. It was a big gash in the domed straw lining, directly above the bed, just great.

With a rueful groan he slung himself down upon the comfortless resting spot. Fortunately for him, the night was clear and warm, allowing him to observe the endless heavens that lingered above his sleepless head. Gazing up at the twinkling stars, he began to wonder. Yet his thoughts strayed only to recall one thing…Yuna.

He bent his arms under his head, and pondered about the enigmatic summoner. Her strange powers… everything about her was so mysterious. She was like a labyrinth, a maze: different surprises about her lingered around every corner.

It was the sending that overwhelmed him the most, even more so than his first encounter with her aeon. He screwed his face up in vexation; how could something so captivating as Yuna's dance be only for sending the dead? The irony was unfathomable.

And where was this _Farplane_? Was it another world? he wondered. There were so many questions left unanswered, but one topic plagued him more than all the others.

Did Jecht _really_ come to Spira all those years ago? Was he _alive_ after all this time?

Tidus grunted out loud in disgust, he couldn't believe he was asking himself about his father so ardently. Why the hell do I care all of a sudden? that's what he really wanted to know!

He shielded a yawn with his bare hand, casting aside all the repugnant images of his father. He was too tired to bother with hating him; he had plenty of time to do that during the day. With a tiresome sigh, he flipped onto his side, wriggling to form a comfortable spot. This bed…it wasn't a patch on his own back in Zanarkand.

Zanarkand…

The word echoed through his mind repeatedly as his eyes slipped shut, leading him into an uneasy sleep.

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Morning came all too soon for the young blitzer. He awoke to the sight of the clear Kilika blue sky above him. The night had passed quickly and Tidus had barely managed to steal enough of it to rest his weary head. Sleeping on a bed of nails might've been more comfortable, he figured more than once during the late hours. The damned thing that _he_ was sleeping on was filled with straw and itched him like hell. He was all too happy to spring up from it.

After removing the dried straw that had embedded itself in his hair, he headed down the narrow staircase to the lower level of the hut. The whole place was empty, apart from a small boy, who was dashing about energetically near the doorway. Tidus wondered where the others could be…

"I'm gonna be a blitzball when I grow up!" the child beamed as the blitzer approached.

Tidus smiled wryly at the whimsical remark, 'poor kid, he probably doesn't even understand what's happened'…he thought.

The hot sun scorched down upon him as he peered through the wide-open doorway. All that had been obscured by the fading light of the previous day hit him now with full force. Kilika port was truly a sight for sore eyes. Yet to the blitzer's surprise, life was still wholesome in the small ruined settlement as he perceived that many people were now stood about. All their faces were written with the same troubled trepidation as they contemplated how to rebuild their once humble town.

Suddenly a familiar face appeared before the blitzer. It was Datto, one of the Aurochs.

"Hey! You awake?" he panted as if he'd just run a marathon "Cap'n Wakka's waiting for you!" he said rubbing his shaven head.

Tidus nodded assuredly. He'd made Wakka wait again! Maybe he needed to invest in a good alarm clock. He wasn't used to these early starts.

Datto headed off hurriedly, almost running as the blonde followed. All the pieces of debris that were strewn haphazardly about the main path had now gone. A path through was clear. Many people had started work on rebuilding the town already and the Aurochs were just some of them, as Tidus saw when they came into view.

The team were already busy restoring the shattered side-roads that led out from the main street.

"Ah, there you are!" Wakka exclaimed in high spirits as his brown eyes beheld the young blitzer. "Besaid Aurochs! Huddle!"

The remainder of the team dropped what they were doing and honed in on Wakka immediately.

"Onto the temple, where we pray for victory!" the redhead proclaimed earnestly folding his solid arms.

"Yeah!" The boys punched the air enthusiastically, before dashing off like lightening in the other direction. They were sure pumped and raring to go!

Wakka turned back to Tidus with an emphatic grin "High summoner _Ohalland_ used to live in the Kilika temple here!" He informed brightly "Yep, Lord Ohalland was once a great blitzer, y'know?" The redhead began to wander off the way the boys had gone; he was lost in his own excitement. The almighty tournament was literally a day away.

Tidus on the other hand didn't share the islander's enthusiasm; in fact he was feeling rather the opposite. Something was very wrong with all this…it didn't seem right to him at all… He stood firm, staring with glazed eyes at the destruction.

"Wakka…"

"Hm?" the redhead blinked as he turned back.

Tidus was rue to speak, but he just had to say what was bothering him…"Praying for victory's all good…" he began, walking over hesitantly "…but is this right?"

"Somethin' wrong with enjoying blitzball?" Wakka quizzed raising his brows.

"Is _this_ really the time?" Tidus couldn't understand why they were all so pumped; blitzball was the only thing on their minds. Kilika had just been wasted: getting the town back on its feet had to be the top priority, right? Not some blitz tournament.

"This is the _only_ time!" Wakka replied ardently "The players fight with all their strength; the fans cheer for their favourite team." He said strolling along a little way "They forget pain, suffering…Only the game matters! That's why blitz has been around so long! Least that's what I think."

"Whatever you say…" Tidus groaned drawing his hand to his chin. He still couldn't bring himself to believe that blitz was capable of soothing the pain of the despairing. Even if it did, it would only be momentarily. What Sin had done here was unforgettable. Homes could be rebuilt, destruction could be replaced. But the attack itself could never be wholly forgotten.

"Let's play…and win! Right?" Wakka enthused, hoping to instil some of his cheer into his new friend.

Tidus sighed with a defeated nod "Right!"

He'd observed the islander's exuberance deeply. Wakka was so passionate about moving ahead, almost putting the attack on Kilika completely behind him. As a matter of fact, everyone here was… If winning the cup meant all that Wakka said, then maybe it was worth getting worked up for…

"Temple's beyond the jungle there." The islander stated, satisfied with the blonde's positive reaction. "Let's go!"

Tidus looked on to the dense area ahead of them on the mainland: the jungle. To be honest the blitzer wasn't looking forward to venturing inside; from what he'd heard, jungles weren't the nicest of places…

Putting his anticipation on hold he followed slowly as Wakka led him into mass of tall trees. Tidus braced himself for the unbearable humidity…

A cool breeze met him as he passed into a wide-open clearing. The blitzer stared around in shock; _this_ wasn't what a jungle was supposed to be like!

It was mild, not stiflingly hot at all! The smell was fresh and breathable. It was light too, there were many great holes in the tall canopy above, letting the morning rays of the sun pass down onto them. Underfoot also were small mossy cobbles that formed wide paths through the dense forestry. The only things that were remotely jungle-like about the place, were the trees of course and the noise: the buzzing of insects, the twittering of bird calls.

Yuna, Kimahri and Lulu were already waiting there for the two of them. The black mage as normal housed her ice-cold disposition, yet Tidus could already see that she was slightly more perturbed than usual…

"What's up?" Wakka inquired with a cheerful grin.

"Yuna's saying she wants you with us." The woman sighed letting her scarlet eyes pass to Tidus.

"Huh?" the young blitzer span round to meet the summoner completely flummoxed. Where did _this_ come from all of a sudden?

Yuna looked to him softly through her jewelled eyes; her hands were clasped closely to her chest "I want to ask you… to become my guardian."

"Yuna! What?" Wakka interrupted seriously "This no time for jokes, ya?" he said stepping behind her. "He may be a blitzball whiz-kid, but up against fiends, he's a newbie."

Yuna turned to face the bulky islander slowly "Not a guardian, then…" she said correcting herself "I just want him nearby."

Wakka leant back, almost completely toppling over with the shock.

"What? Whaddya _mean_?" Tidus asked, totally confused at her statement. What on earth was she _talking_ about? She just wanted him _nearby_?

Yuna sighed reluctantly "It's just that, well…"

"We're all going to the temple anyway. Can't this wait till later?" Lulu butted in, somewhat suspiciously.

The summoner nodded in relief "I'm sorry." She said looking back to the bewildered blitzer "I shouldn't have…"

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Tidus confirmed assuredly. "I'm just not really sure what's going on." He admitted with a shake of his head.

Yuna faltered "My apologies."

He stared at her in disbelief for a moment before Kimahri intervened. The ronso pointed ahead into the woods with a long gnarled finger, it was more than obvious that he was eager to get a move on.

Delaying themselves no longer, the summoner party pressed on into the deep recesses of the Kilika woods. They'd only gone so far before they noticed they weren't the only ones beneath the shade of the trees. The Crusaders were here.

There were many squads assigned throughout the jungle, each were taking out most of the pesky fiends that lay in their path. What their reason was for being in the woods, no one knew. Not that Tidus and the others were complaining…there were less fiends to deal with. The party were only assailed a few times, and each beast was a trivial feat, posing no particular threat.

Pretty soon, after passing by the tranquil woodland lake, they reached the foot of their destination: the great staircase, or 'pilgrimage road' as they called it. Spanning up to the very limits, the stairs reached; forged completely of ancient stone. After climbing the first flight, they found the remainder of the Aurochs were already there, waiting for them.

"These stone steps have a history, y'know?" Wakka chuckled as Tidus allowed his cerulean eyes trace the line of the towering magnitude of stone. "Yep, Lord Ohalland trained here at his peak." The redhead concluded with a growing smirk.

The tittering Aurochs soon alerted the young blitzer to his senses. Tidus could smell a challenge brewing.

"A race, huh?" he said, reading their thoughts exactly. "Think you can beat me?"

The Aurochs roared excitedly at the prospect of an adrenaline rush. With an air of electrifying enthusiasm, they assembled along with Tidus at the bottom of the flight, ready to race to the very top, a challenge to reach in itself.

"Yuna, if you would." Wakka called.

The summoner stepped forwards graciously with a delighted twinkle in her dual eyes. "Ready-?" she held her arm up and…away she went with a giggle, giving herself a long head start.

"Hey!" Wakka laughed making chase with Datto and Letty, leaving Tidus to eat their dust.

"Wha? Hey!" Tidus attempted to follow, but no sooner had they disappeared they came fleeing back down again looking completely panic-stricken.

"L-Look out!" Datto shrieked completely petrified as he and Letty fled for their lives back down to the bottom.

"Everyone quick!" Wakka cried urgently from the up-most distance "Sinspawn!"

Upon hearing his words, Lulu and Kimahri dashed frantically to his and Yuna's aid, with Tidus close behind. What met the blitzer's eyes when he reached their location took him completely by surprise.

There in the central circular plateau of the stairs, was a gigantic armour bound shell. It was clam- like in shape and form, heaving and swelling as the creature breathed within. As if this monstrosity wasn't bad enough, there were two more surprises in store. Namely two colossal arms adorned with long writhing tentacles, that protruded from the solid stone floor. Somehow the creature had managed to burrow under the ancient stone and burst out further along. Either way, it was going to die and Tidus wanted to be sure of it.

Leaping forward dynamically his let the Brotherhood smash down upon the mighty quavering shell. The severe impact of the blow sent shuddering shockwaves down Tidus' arm. The sword was no good; it couldn't pierce the grey-scaled shell. As the blitzer nursed his aching wrist Kimahri tried his luck, as did Wakka, neither was able to even mark the shell. Their weapons just glanced off the rounded surface. Lulu stepped in; dodging the ferocious grasps of the razor edged tentacles. With her trusty moogle, she raised her arms up to the heavens. A frosty ball of white light grew between her palms as she focused her energy toward the tremendous shell. In a flash, the blizzard spell powered its way towards the creature's body.

Before it could even reach, the tentacles engulfed the ball of light forcing it to soak into their plant-like mass.

Lulu stepped back in exasperation "Its tentacles absorb any spell cast at its body." she breathed.

"Damn it!" Wakka cried in frustration, whacking the stupid thing with his ball. What the hell could they do now?

The fiend on the other hand wasn't willing to wait any longer to attack. The party soon realised the error of their ways when the shell began to tremble and swell violently. It was time to retaliate.

Opening its defences briefly, the creature gushed out a tremendous spray of green clouded gas.

"Don't breathe, it's poison!" Lulu cried covering her face with her sleeve.

Everyone followed suit quickly. For Tidus and Wakka holding their breath for a long time wasn't a problem at all, they were blitzers, they were used to it. But for the others, the stifling toxic air was already proving to be a deadly burden. Tidus had to think of something fast…but what?

Just as his mind slipped into concentration, a long slimy limb wriggled around his bare leg, constricting tightly. The blitzer reacted as fast as ever, hacking the whip-like tentacle finger from him. The long arm reeled at the sudden dismemberment…that was it!

"I got it! We need to get the arms first!" Tidus yelled amidst the clouding haze.

Wakka caught on rapidly and with the young blitzer set his sights on the creature's stretching limbs. Together they slashed the fingers from the arm, forcing the putrid green blood to gush from the open wounds. Although _Tidus_ did most of the _slashing_, Wakka did more whacking than anything. In the time it had taken them to disable one arm, Kimahri had completely obliterated the other, ripping it apart with one foul swoop of his spear.

The fiend howled in pain from within the dense armour: it was payback time. With a jarring crack the shell burst open exposing the creature's putrid mass. As the toxic cloud thinned and dispersed, Tidus could get a good look of what lurked inside.

A green almost plant-like creature appeared before him, by the look of its structure it seemed to resemble a venus fly trap more than anything else with its gaping spiny jaws. Yet again, it was armed with another pair of long fingered arms that thrashed and whipped towards them menacingly. It was completely open to attack.

Waiting no longer, Kimahri thrust his spear into the creature's face, gouging its eye completely out of the socket and spraying fluorescent blood everywhere. Tidus wretched, why did he have to be so savage?

But by now, Yuna was ready.

With an almighty blast of power, Valefor swooped down from the morning skies. Immediately, the creature spat a concoction of deadly venom towards the aeon's face. Valefor reeled; buckling back suddenly as the saliva stung its shining eyes. Taking advantage of this, the sinspawn quickly wrapped it flailing tentacles around the body of the hovering aeon, restraining its wings.

Tidus watched in horror as the creature constricted, squeezing the aeon in a brutal chokehold. Valefor would be dead if it remained there in the vice grip any longer.

But it was not so…

Beyond all Tidus' hope, the aeon began to _glow_. It pulsated in a flashing crimson hue that dazzled the blitzer's cerulean eyes. What the hell was going on?

The aeon burst from the creature's grasp, severing the wriggling tentacles as it did so, in a terrific display of strength. Valefor had reached overdrive; the status among aeons that is only achieved when a certain degree of damage is inflicted, allowing them to unleash their most potent attack.

Rearing its mighty head back, a deep rumbling sounded in the aeon's long serpentine throat. Suddenly its beak filled with a searing white light. Not pausing a moment longer, Valefor spat the white beam through the sinspawn's defenceless body slicing it completely in two.

It was already over; Valefor disappeared back up into the clear sky as the remnants of the fiend dissipated to nothing in a circling cloud of light.

"Yeesh!" Tidus exclaimed as he bent over raggedly, resting on his knees.

Wakka laughed "Sorry 'bout that! Hoped to break you in a little slower!"

"Being a guardian's tiring!" the blitzer replied, getting his breath back. He could finally appreciate what work a guardian's job actually involved, which wasn't as easy as he first thought.

"You handled yourself pretty well." Wakka said, sounding slightly impressed "You got talent!"

"Nah!" Tidus grinned, batting off the complement with an awkward rub of his head. "So what are these _sinspawn _anyway?" he quizzed, changing the subject.

"Fiends." Lulu answered "They fall from Sin's body and are left behind in its wake." She walked onward not waiting for the blitzer to question her again.

Tidus however had figured out what they were, they were the same things that helped destroy Zanarkand; now he knew where they came from.

"Leave 'em alone and Sin comes back for 'em. "Wakka explained following the mage onward "You gotta be quick!"

Tidus observed closely as Yuna and Kimahri joined the bulky islander.

_"That moment when Wakka told me I had talent in battle…  
__I think that was I when I started seriously considering becoming a guardian…"_

"Wait up! Tidus dashed to catch up with the group.

A long way was still to go on the steps upwards and the steep incline wasn't doing them any favours. Between each flight blazed fiery torches at either side, forged completely out of the raw stone. Strange statues also, haunted the edges of the steps, they were some kind of strange animal. Tidus couldn't work out what on earth they were meant to be. He glanced down over the edge, through the over hanging palm leaves. The jungle ascended, growing up hill with the staircase. He could tell they were already a fair way up, there would only be short way to go now up the twisting and turning stair.

"So, uh…" Wakka began as casually as he could "they got fiends in Zanarkand, too?"

"Just a few." Tidus replied, not catching on immediately "It's a big deal when one shows up, though. I-" he stopped suddenly "Hey! Since when have _you _believed me about _Zanarkand_, anyway?"

"I've been thinkin'." The islander said solemnly. "Maybe people Sin gets to don't die. Maybe Sin carries them through time. Like a thousand years through time." He wandered forward reflectively "And then, one day maybe they just pop back, see?"

"Amazing. Simply amazing." Lulu interrupted darkly, shaking her head with caustic bitterness.

Wakka spun round "Huh?"

"You make up one theory after another, refusing to face the simple truth." She growled spitefully. "Sin didn't _take_ Chappu anywhere. Sin crushed him and left him on the Djose shore!" her eyes were ablaze with a searing rage "Your brother won't just _pop_ back!"

Yuna watched the pair with growing anxiety. Tidus half expected her to say something. But there was nothing she could do.

"Oh, and one more thing." Lulu added, as she paced away with Kimahri close behind. "No matter how much you want it, _no_ _one_ can take Chappu's place. No one can replace Sir Jecht for that matter. And there's no replacement for Lord Braska, either. It's pointless to think about it, and _sad_." She disappeared over the top of the stairway along with the ronso and Yuna.

Wakka slumped down on to the steps with a morose frown. "I- I could never be what Chappu was." He mumbled, punching down on the bare stone with hid clenched fist.

"Well, stuff happens." He said pushing himself to his feet with a sigh "Best not to worry."

The islander headed onwards after the others as Tidus followed loosely behind.

_"Wakka, Lulu and Wakka's brother Chappu.  
__Something had happened between them a long time ago. I was sure of it.  
Well, whatever it was, it was none of my business, that's for sure.  
__Best not to go there."_

To be continued…

_AN: Warning, if you don't want to read my incessant ramblings about bannnnnannnnnas and my fave characters skip this part and review me please! _

_Hiya! What did ya think of this chappie? To be honest I hated writing the sending part, maybe its because I wanted it to be perfect, I dunno. Hope you lot aren't too bothered about me leaving out some bits in this chapter._

_In answer to some questions…  
I use British spelling **NOT** American. I'm an English girl and proud! Not that there's anything wrong with American spelling! My colonial cousins across the pond: you go ahead and spell whatever you want, how you want; you could spell banana with 10 n's if you wanted to "Bannnnnannnnna!"_

_Oh yes, who are my fave characters?… well, how long have you got?…_

_Of course, I'll have to start with the infamous Tidus. The reason I like him isn't because he's the lead or anything like that. I really like the way his character changes almost grows mature as the game goes on. At the beginning he's a real playboy, showing off to impress the girls, even sneaking a peak down Lulu's cleavage through the binoculars! Just a typical 17 year old guy. At the end of the game however, he's a very different person, more focused, one could even say grown up._

_My next fave character is maybe not a popular choice…Jecht, Tidus' dad. I don't care what anyone says, I think Jecht's great! His bluntness and reckless demeanour make him stand out from all the other characters. Can't help feeling a tad sorry for him, because his own stupidity cost him his son's trust. I love the relationship he and Tidus share._

_Argh there are so many…the last one I'll mention for now has to be Lulu. At first there was no specific reason for liking her, I just always like the moody, acid tongued characters (that's why I have a soft spot for Paine in ffx-2). I grew to love the way Lulu is horrid to Tidus at the beginning if the game, though. She out of all the others knows that only one thing can come in between Yuna and her pilgrimage, and that's him. Her faith in him grows slowly and by the end she holds him in utmost respect…well almost._

_Cus there's so much I wanna say about everyone, I've compiled a short list with my moogle Mogsam. Here's what we think!  
Wakka: Like how dopey he is. Dislike, his hate of the Al Bhed._

_Rikku: Like the bright personality. Dislike, using her overdrive, mix, only to get something like a poxy high potion._

_Auron: Like his grumpy, grouchy manner Dislike: his agonising slowness in battle._

_Yuna: Like her determination and innocent charm Dislike, the unnecessary pauses when she says a line._

_Kimahri: Like…erm…have to come back to you on this one…Dislike, the fact I never know when to use him in battle. I always hate the character with the blue abilities, i.e Quina from ff 9._

_Well that's enough blabbing for now! Cya later!_

_Vogue Star_

_Ps To those that were worried about me changing my story: the only changes I'll ever make are to spelling and grammatical errors, nothing else will be amended._

_Remember to review me peeps, I don't know what you think unless you tell me! Feel free to ask me any questions about my story if you want!_


	7. Memories

_**Thankies to all that reviewed me! **_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ffx or ffx-2 or the characters in the games!_

Chapter 7: Memories.

As Tidus clambered up the topmost stair, it came into view; the goal of the long hike upwards. Before him was a large round marble plateau. Thick, intricately carved pillars surrounded it, supporting a slanting archway that led onwards. The temple itself almost completely engulfed the circular platform with its embracing shape. The entrance was shadowed under a large domed shaping of stone that led up to two towering turrets. Both were formed completely of carved circular contours, moulded together. Situated within many of these clefts were several green tinted spheres. They were large in size, containing the living wisps of fire within, burning brightly under the pallid hue.

Fire: it was everywhere, blazing from the frequent lanterns that lid the plateau, even in the colour of the temple it was represented. It was even present, roaring beneath a huge shallow dome that lined the centre of the floor there.

This temple, it was very different from the one in Besaid. Different in the physical, but the mental attributes were still there. Tidus could feel the same strange holiness emulating from the very ground on which he stood: the same heavy weight that resided in the air.

Many of the villagers from the sabotaged town were scattered about here and there. Some of them had come to pray, much like the Aurochs had, but their prayers were for Sin never to return to their home, one tragedy was enough to last them a lifetime.

Datto, the Aurochs' right forward, rolled up beside Tidus and bowed respectfully to the holy structure before him. "I came here to pray for victory last year, but we lost in the first round." He said with a whimsical grin "I guess I didn't pray hard enough, ya?"

Tidus blinked doubtfully…prayers would never help them in his eyes. But this _was_ Spira, anything could happen.

"This temple is a remembrance place for High summoner Ohalland, you know." Wakka confirmed proudly, giving Tidus a playful jab in the arm. "Yep, those flames yonder have burned strong even since his day!"

The blonde stared at the crackling flames numbly…he wondered what would happen if they ever went out…

"Hey!" Jassu came running up to them excitedly, almost tripping up in his haste.

"What is it?" Wakka inquired.

"They're saying some famous people have come here today!" the defender voiced in a hushed whisper.

"Oh…wonder who it is…" Wakka retorted thoughtfully, scratching his chin.

"I feel sick."

The team turned toward Botta with disgruntled sighs.

"What?"

"Tell us something we _don't_ know, ya?" Keepa chuckled rolling his eyes. The team were already fed up of hearing about Botta's growing ailment, sea sickness was supposed to wear off on land anyway…wasn't it?

"Hey! It's not my fault I'm queasy!" the right defence argued, clutching his growling belly.

"You should try being in midfield!" Letty chipped in. "You'd be throwing up in the sphere pool all the time, ya?"

The team roared loudly in a fit of hysterics, attracting far too much attention to themselves.

"Time out!" Wakka reprimanded. "We're here to pray, not laugh like donkeys."

Tidus looked on to the deep square entrance of the mighty temple building. Yuna was already there with Kimahri and Lulu…but so were some others. "Wakka…"

"What?"

"Are those your _famous_ people?"

The Aurochs looked on towards the three men, their faces blanched with shifty anxiety. From the distance Tidus could see the trio were clad in matching violet and blue uniforms, which meant of course only once thing…they were part of a rival team.

"Let's go to 'em." Wakka said, he out of all of them had retained his composure.

Filled with trepidation, his team advanced. Tidus tagged along at the back, wondering what would happen.

The head of the opposing group, a surly looking man with blood red hair, noticed their advance immediately. He folded his arms with a vying smirk, whispering something to the others, coaxing them to giggle tauntingly.

"You here to pray for victory, too?" Wakka inquired, halting before them.

"_Us_? _Pray_?" the leader scoffed. "Who needs to _pray_? The Luca Goers _always_ win!" he leered down on them, like they were deserving of a death wish.

"Oh, yeah? Then why you here?"

One of the others, a tall guy with short flaxen hair laughed darkly to himself. "We've been praying for some _competition_ this year!"

"So what's your goal _this_ time?" his red haired comrade snarled adopting a baby voice "You gonna _'do_ _your_ _best'_ again?"

Tidus could feel his fingers closing into his palms slowly; the adrenaline was already pumping in his veins.

"Ha! It's too _bad_ your _best_ isn't _good_ enough!" the player jeered "Why even bother showing up?"

Tidus had had enough; with a surge of fury he bulldozed his way to the front "_This_ time we play to win!" The boys backed him up with a defiant noise of agreement.

"Oooh! Play away!" the man retorted with a sneer. "Just remember, even _kids_ can play, boys." He strode off arrogantly, as the remainder of his team followed, snickering mockingly..

"See you in the finals!" Wakka called cheerfully, as they disappeared out of sight.

Without another thought of the condescending Luca Goers, The islander and the Aurochs proceeded down the temple steps to the interior. Kimahri and Lulu were close to follow.

Tidus stood, glued to the spot. Being in the Zanarkand Abes' he never experienced this kind of ridicule. He couldn't believe Wakka was willing to just stand there and let those jerks push his team around. "We'll beat them! We have to!" he muttered defiantly.

Yuna, hearing his utterance, wandered back to him "You know that team?" she asked softly.

"Putting people down…" he fumed, growing with perpetual rage "They're as bad as my old man!"

The summoner gasped "But Sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man!"

"Well, not _my_ Jecht!"

Yuna sighed, it was no use trying to get through to him when he was in this state.

_"Even ten years after he left…  
just thinking about my old man got me angry.  
But maybe that was my way of keeping him…Nah."_

Pushing the loathsome thoughts of his father from his mind, he followed Yuna down the thick stone steps and into the great Kilika temple. Inside, it was almost identical to the circular hall in Besaid. There were the same mighty statues, the same strange insignias and the same door that led to the cloister of trials. The only difference that Tidus noted was that the room was slightly rosier in colour; reds and violets were chiefly used in the cloth carpet, which displayed a very different glyph to before.

The Aurochs by this time had already busied themselves in praying at the far end of the room. Wakka however was at the other side. He was kneeling before the second of the four great statues that lined the stairs. The effigy was a tall, caped man with very prominent, masculine features and a beard.

"Lord Ohalland, guide our feet." The islander murmured as he formed the long prayer of Yevon.

Tidus eyed the statue closely…so _this_ was the Lord Ohalland that everyone was on about... He waited with folded arms for the worshipping to cease; those accursed Goers still pervaded his thoughts. He couldn't wait to show them who was boss in the sphere pool.

"A _summoner_ are you?"

Everyone looked up, startled to see a dark skinned woman stood proudly at the top of the cloister stairs. Her attire didn't leave much to imagination, revealing far more than was necessary. A hefty, muscular man accompanied her to the bottom as she eyed the summoner like a predatory hawk.

Kimahri followed closely as the brunette introduced herself "My name is Yuna--from the Isle of Besaid."

"Dona…" The woman replied, somewhat haughtily. "So, you're High summoner Braska's _daughter_. That's quite name to live up to." She said bluntly.

Her dark eyes scanned the room, resting upon the small clutch of guardians. "My, my, my…" she groaned, putting a hand to her shaking head. "And all these _people_ are your guardians? My, what a rabble!"

Yuna blinked, she'd never encountered such an odious person as this, let alone a summoner.

"As I recall, Lord Braska had only _two_ guardians." Dona continued glowering darkly. "Quality over quantity, my dear. What ever were you _thinking_? _I_ have need of only one guardian, right, Barthello?"

The muscled man behind her nodded briskly, coercing Kimahri to step up in Yuna's defence.

"I have as many guardians as there are people I can trust. I trust them _all_ with my life!" Yuna retaliated firmly. "To have so many guardians is a joy, _and_ an honour! Even more so than being my father's daughter… Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways, either. So, Lady Dona, I ask of you: please leave us in peace."

Dona recoiled, curling her lip "_You_ do what _you_ want! Barthello we're leaving!"

The odd couple pranced out of the doors hurriedly, leaving Yuna to sigh deeply with relief. Tidus stared in disbelief…she sure showed that Dona! But then it hit him…something in her words…

_"A guardian is someone a summoner can rely on.  
Someone she can trust with her life.  
I wondered, did Yuna feel that way about me?"_

Putting the confrontations aside, the guardians began to mount the stairs, leading up to the trials. As Tidus followed, he noticed Yuna turn back to him with a sweet smile. He wondered to himself about this…why was she smiling so quickly after the encounter with Dona?…

After passing through the solid carved doors, the summoner party followed a short passageway down. At the end was a small round platform, upon its surface was an emblazoned insignia…one Tidus had not seen before.

"The fayth is below. Let's do it!" Wakka exclaimed stepping onto the rounded surface.

"The _fayth_?" Tidus couldn't help himself from his incessant questioning, sure it made him feel dumb…but he really didn't know anything about Spira…

"But first, the Cloister of trials." Lulu corrected "Kimahri? Wakka? Ready?"

Her fellow guardians nodded firmly.

"Strength everyone." Yuna prayed before the whole group loaded on, Tidus included.

The blitzer was just bracing himself for the floor to move downwards when a sharp blow connected with his shoulder. "Whoa!" A guttural growl resounded behind him as he staggered forward off the platform, almost toppling down onto his knees.

"Hey, what gives?" he exclaimed straightening himself up.

"You're not a guardian yet." Lulu informed deeply.

Yuna passed him a sympathetic smile "Um, we'll be back as soon as we can, okay?"

The glyph suddenly lit beneath their feet in a heated crimson red.

Tidus folded his arms impatiently and watched as they descended down in to the darkness. "Oh, sure! Soon like _tomorrow_ soon, I bet…"

He sighed deeply and slid down the wall in the passageway landing in a heap on the cold slab floor. In a way he was relieved not to be going down there, he recalled his first encounter with the Cloisters in Besaid…the sheer remembrance still sent shivers down his spine. Straining his ears, he heard the dull thud of the elevator hit the floor at the bottom, pretty soon it would come back up to the surface.

"Where's Yuna?"

Tidus sprang up with a start. He recognised the voice immediately however…Dona, what the hell had _she_ come back for? The blitzer pointed to the elevator as it returned slowly, locking back in place.

"Then why are _you_ here?" the vexatious summoner persisted.

"Hey, I'm not a guardian, so I'm not supposed to go in, right?" he replied.

A demonic twinkle sparkled suddenly in her deep brown eyes. "Not a _guardian_, you say?…"

Before Tidus could react, Dona's muscular companion had already grabbed hold of him. "Hey! Wait!" the blitzer shrieked in surprise, as the man grappled with his shirt.

He lifted the blonde with ease onto his shoulder, "Ah! Lemme go!" Tidus cried in vain wriggling like a serpent.

The man bundled him down with a crash on the painfully solid floor. "Hey, what's the big idea?" the blitzer quizzed accusingly as he rubbed his aching back.

"Just a little game." Dona confirmed with a sadistic leer.

"Huh?" Tidus jumped to his feet. He looked beneath him; the glyph lit up, carmine blood red.

"Bye-bye!" she waved playfully, as he sank aimlessly, down into the foreboding Cloisters.

"This is bad…" he whined clutching his head in his hands. "Really bad…" how the hell could he explain this one?…

The elevator ground to a halt at the very bottom. He looked on to behold, yet another passageway, this time it was open and bordered with tubular lamps that housed blazing fires within. The blitzer panicked, stamping his feet, doing anything to make the lift go back up again. It wouldn't move.

"Damn it!" he cried, booting the wall in his frustration.

His deep blue eyes scanned the line of the pathway before him, meeting the tall doors at the other end. He wandered over to it ruefully "Only guardians allowed and I'm sure no guardian!…" His fingers traced the etchings carved into the pattern on the doors "Well, I guess it's too late now!"

Taking a deep breath inwards he pushed forwards firmly. The doors opened with a slow grating scrape. His eyes snapped shut when a freak gust of dusty air blasted towards him. It was like he was opening some old forgotten tomb.

He blinked rapidly as the dust settled, hoping the clap eyes on something interesting.

No such luck.

Before him was another box room, similar in style to the Cloisters of Besaid. Another door lay at the far end before him. Grunting at the menial triviality of it all, he paced straight over and gave it a shove. Nothing happened….he stepped back in thought, before chiding himself for being so stupid.

Just like in Besaid, this door had a recess in it, a recess for a sphere! Quickly he looked round the room. He scratched his head, there was nothing here, only a pedestal that was lit with a fiery torch.

Tidus eyed the light sceptically, hoping his worst fears wouldn't be confirmed. But moving in close he could see it… the sphere, it was there right in front of him. There was however one minor problem; it was on fire!

Crouching before the pedestal, he readied his hands…it wouldn't be too bad if he was quick and he was willing to take the risk.. Lunching rapidly, he clasped the burning sphere in his palm.

"Whoa!" he juggled it from one hand to another, like he was carrying a hot potato. _'Hang_ _on_ _a_ _sec_…' fire wasn't meant to be…_cold_!

He stopped his stupid dance immediately, what the hell _was_ this? He stared at the ball in amazement; it still blazed within his palm.

"He he he, it's just an illlusion!" he giggled to himself shoving it into the recess.

No sooner had the sphere entered the hole, the door exploded. It burst suddenly into a whirling mass of scorching flame, almost singeing his eyebrows off. Tidus flipped onto the wall at the side of it just in time, as the voracious flames licked the spot where he was just stood. _That_ sure was no illusion!

He panted heavily as he clawed the wall beside him, searching for the sphere. There was no way he could get through to the next room with the door ablaze! His hand met the cool sphere, Tidus waited no longer to wrench the thing out of its socket. As soon as he'd done so, the savage fire immediately extinguished transforming into charred grey ash, and crumbling to the floor in a sooty heap. A way through was clear.

Tidus stood in the doorway; his jaw hit the floor with utter disbelief. This just had to be a joke…

There in the chamber before him lay a great chasm barring the way. Inside it, blazed the fiercest blistering fire he'd ever seen. Perhaps fire wasn't the word…more like raging inferno. He shrivelled down into himself sheepishly, why couldn't he have waited outside?…

Cautiously, he padded into the fiery chamber, hoping he'd come across a solution to extinguish the flames quickly. Just as he gave up hope of finding anything, something caught his eye. A flashing dot on the floor. He crept over to it. It was surrounded by a large square mark and pulsed rhythmically in a glittering white hue.

The blitzer cast his mind back to Besaid again…there was a shiny dot in Besaid too… What did he put on it again?…A-ha, the pedestal!

Rushing back into the other room, he grasped hold of the large stone pedestal and gave it a shove.  
Nothing.  
He pushed it a little harder.  
Still nothing.

It was missing something: the sphere. Hastily he placed the fiery orb into the recess on the pedestal. It blazed happily, now that it'd returned to its original home. Despite the fact it had helped in making the pedestal moveable, it hadn't helped any with the cumbersome weight.

Tidus groaned, cursing under his breath as he laboured to scrape it over the rough stone floor. With a final heave he got the pedestal to its correct place. The floor beneath it buckled momentarily on the sudden contact, before lowering the pedestal down into the towering flames.

The blitzer gasped a sigh of relief as the impenetrable fire, faded away leaving a steaming path for him to walk. After travelling a small way, he was greeted with the light of a new chamber, the antechamber.

Hesitantly, the blitzer crept in. He could see the others, minus Yuna, waiting there, motionless. The room itself was somewhat smaller than Besaid's antechamber, but it still served the same purpose. The same door was still lurking there in the near distance, the same door that Yuna had emerged from for the first time. And the same song, the same song that greeted him before…

Wakka spun round immediately, hearing the blitzer's soft footsteps "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed, slapping his hand to his forehead.

Lulu passed the blitzer an annoyed glare along with a questionable sigh.

"It was Dona and that big musclehead man!" Tidus explained feebly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences!" Lulu scolded aggrieved.

"What _consequences_?"

"She could be excommunicated." Wakka groaned, he strode back to where he was stood previously, and began to pray that no-one would come and perceive Tidus in there.

A bitter silence took them over; the blonde kicked himself intrinsically for being so easily disarmed by Dona and the musclehead man upstairs. He moped over to where Lulu was stood; she acknowledged his presence with an irritated sigh. The blitzer looked to the oval door; Kimahri guarded it jealously. Every time the blonde's gaze strayed too near the ronso's yellow eyes narrowed in silent warning.

It took only a while for Lulu to give up on the tense reticence they were all adopting. She was soon informing the blitzer, as she had done so before.

"The chamber beyond is a sacred place. Only summoners may enter." She said.

"What, even guardians can't go?" Tidus inquired looking around at their motionless state.

"It's taboo!" Wakka stated with explicit bluntness.

"Oh…" the blitzer groaned.

"Just wait!" the redhead reassured "She'll be here soon, I know it!"

"So, what's in there anyway?" the blitzer asked motioning to the door.

"The fayth, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…that thing. Right." the lie was bad and Lulu saw right through it.

"The fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin." She explained gravely "Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still living bodies. Now they live forever, trapped in statues. But when a summoner beckons, the souls of the fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an aeon."

"All _that_ in this room?" the blitzer spluttered alarmed. To be honest, he found the whole thing a little creepy, to say the least. "S-so what's Yuna _doing_ in there?"

"She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin." Wakka concluded.

No sooner had he finished his words, the chamber door began to rumble quietly. They watched as it raised up, revealing the fatigued Yuna, whose cheeks were now a radiant rose colour. She had emerged now, and with a new aeon. Her guardians rushed to her aid as she stumbled gracefully to her knees. But by this time, Tidus had already started thinking. Standing there, in that place, listening… it suddenly came back to him…

_"There was something I didn't tell anyone else that day.  
That song we heard there, in the temple…  
I knew it from my childhood.  
If was proof that Spira and Zanarkand were connected somehow.  
At least to me it was._

_Maybe that's why, suddenly, I felt like…I just wanted to go home.  
I tried to say something to tell them, but the words wouldn't come."_

After the weary summoner got her breath back, the guardians wasted no time in leading her swiftly from the trials. Tidus tagged along morosely, he could already feel the pangs of tribulation eat away at him from the inside. When the summoner party reached the outside and the fresh Kilika air, it was more than clear that Yuna's arrival to the island had not gone unnoticed. The rumours of Lord Braska's daughter visiting the island's temple on her very own pilgrimage had already spread like wild fire. Curiously bystanders fluctuated from all directions to her immediately. Tidus watched with growing torture as they hailed her coming with joyous rapture, before a white haze passed over his dejected eyes.  
His memories: they were too strong to ignore.

Zanarkand: it came gushing back to him in a stream of fond recollection. He could see it; there before him as the place it once was, wondrous and alive. He had stood there; as Yuna was, surrounded by his ardent followers, indulging in the exhilarating thrill of hearing their ecstatic cheers. Their voices; he reached to touch his ears as they came flooding back to him like a wild torrent, engulfing his senses.

_"I thought I had put my feelings for Zanarkand behind me.  
But they were there, and they grew inside me, bigger and bigger, till I was just about ready to burst."_

"The memory faded before his eyes, but his anguish did not.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asked, concerned as she caught up to him. The others had already started descending down the tall winding stairs.

He lingered there, frozen by numbness "I...don't know…"

"What do you want to do?"

"To scream real loud."

The brunette laughed quietly at his statement; she was interrupted loudly by his ear-splitting bellow. Immediately everyone turned round to lay sceptical eyes on him, like he was some kind of crazed lunatic; even the guardians, who nearly shot out of their skins at the sudden outburst. He'd nearly given Wakka a heart attack!

Putting the blitzer's strange musical interlude behind them the gang finished their long trek down the hard stone steps. Of course, it was a lot easier coming down, than it was going up, and a lot quicker too. They passed through the light woodland with barely a word to one another and arrived at the ruins in no time.

Back on the main stretch of surviving road they could see another ship anchored and waiting for them. It was almost identical in every way to the SS Liki, yet it bore a different name: the SS Winno.

"Off to Luca at last!" Wakka sighed as they got within close proximity of the vessel. "The matches start as soon as we get there, so rest up on the way, ya?" he said turning to the blonde.

Tidus nodded vaguely as they boarded the ship. As soon as they were all aboard, the vessel began to chug away from the desolate port, leaving Kilika well and truly behind them.

---------------------------------------------

He awoke suddenly as the gentle rhythm of the ship rocked his large string hammock to and fro against the hull. The blitzer had gone below deck with the Aurochs some time before, and after getting some well-required food supplies, he'd nodded off in the ship's cabin.

The boys however couldn't relax.

"Can't believe those lousy Lucans!" he heard Jassu moan loudly as his eyes adjusted to the light, "Why'd they have to get the same boat as us, ya?"

"I know!" Datto retorted scraping his feet along the bare floor "I heard the Kilika beast aren't too happy 'bout it either."

Letty joined in with a repugnant glare "Those damned Luca Goers! How I'd just love to---Hey! You're awake!" his face calmed with an embarrassed laugh.

The Aurochs looked to Tidus as he lowered himself to the floor. "Where's Wakka?" he inquired, looking around, the redhead was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, he's up deck with Lulu." Keepa confirmed "I wouldn't bother him if I were you though, I think he's busy."

Making some excuse about getting fresh air, the young blitzer left the Aurochs to continue their name-calling. He passed up to the upper level of the ship. It was dark already. The night sky towered above him completely filled with numerous clusters of glittering stars.

A small crowd of people lay before him at the back end of the ship, he could already tell Yuna was there in amongst the faces…some of the Goers were there too. Tidus approached them, hoping that somehow his spirit could be uplifted.

"Whatcha all talkin' about?" he asked, seizing their attention.

Yuna smiled from within, as she perceived his face.

A man turned to him with his hands splayed widely on his hips, the red haired Goer "Who are _you_ supposed to be?" he quizzed with a leering grimace.

"Ah, I remember him, Bickson! It's the guy from Kilika." His flaxen haired companion was there also, dealing his own share of distaste toward the blitzer.

Bickson raised a twisted eyebrow "Hmm?"

"Y'know, one of the Besaid Aurochs. Said somethin' about winning the cup."

Bickson's eyes lit up in scornful recollection "Oh right, you're _that_ idiot."

Yuna blinked suddenly "Don't call him that!"

"But he _is_ an idiot! They don't got what it takes to win the cup!" the redhead jeered with a derisive laugh.

"Well, they do now that I'm here!" Tidus affirmed defiantly.

"Yes, they will win!" Yuna agreed "He used to be the Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes!"

The Goers stiffened in shattered disbelief. Wide ridiculing grins pulled at their faces, "Yeah, as if anyone lived in those ruins!"

"It's _not_ ruins!" Yuna disputed, her jewelled eyes darkening slightly "There's a big city there! There is!"

"Erm…" Tidus could feel another bout of laughter coming on, he stuck to what he was best at…"I- I got too close to Sin and--"

Yuna looked on "There is a city, really!" she interrupted conclusively.

Bickson smirked "Right. Whatever Your Ladyship says." He sneered sarcastically.

The Goers swaggered off, and down beneath the deck as the crowd dispersed from her, leaving her alone.

"What's wrong? You seemed kinda mad back there." The blitzer said, moving to her.

Her star filled eyes were fixed on the distant night sky "They were being rude and…" she turned to him suddenly "I do believe your Zanarkand exists! I really do, you know!"

"How come?"

Yuna paced beside him slowly, her face filling with fond memory "Sir Jecht used to always tell me stories…It'd be great to see your home someday." She stopped before him softly with a demure smile "I'd…love to go there."

"Yeah." A mild grin crept over his face.

_"So, Yuna…  
wanna come over to my place?_

_Right, sure…  
as if I had a place to show her."_

Tidus had failed to take note of the grumbling ronso, lurking in the shadows. He should've learnt by now that wherever Yuna was, Kimahri was too…  
His conversation with her had to end there.

Tidus wandered off, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Thinking about Zanarkand so fondly, had only resulted in him feeling worse…

"Well? Say something. You'll take responsibility?"

The blitzer's ears pricked up: the deep voice, it was Lulu. She was speaking from somewhere above. Tidus snuck round the other side and crept up the wooden stairs that led to the viewing platform. He peeped sneakily over the edge to see the black mage pacing around impatiently.

Wakka was sat down, with his back resting on the main sail support "Relax! He's bound to know someone in Luca."

"And if not?" she persisted.

"He could always join the blitz team." The islander replied looking down to his thick hands "Anyhow, it's better than just leaving him in Besaid!"

"What? Just leaving him in Luca?"

"What do you want me to do?" he whined.

"Yuna wants to make him a guardian."

"Oh, yeah, jeez…there's that too, eh?"

Lulu looked down on him accusingly "And who's fault is that?"

"Not mine!" Wakka protested, screwing his face up like a sulky child.

She raised her dark brows.

"It is mine, huh?" he figured, with a sigh. "Why do you think she want's to make him a guardian, anyway?"

"Because he's Sir Jecht's son."

"Oh, right. -Wait, you sure 'bout that? He's really Sir Jecht's son?"

Lulu folded her arms pensively "It's hard to say… but Yuna seems to believe so."

"Okay…"

"_Okay_?" she glowered "_Okay_? Is that _all_ you have to say?"

"Well, yeah, I mean… He's gotta decide for himself, ya? Well, him and Yuna, I guess." Wakka replied.

Lulu threw him a bemused smirk "You're right--for once."

The islander cleared his throat in irritation.

"I wonder which is best…" the mage regained her composure and looked out to sea, ignoring Wakka's reaction. "Why don't you tell him he should?"

The redhead looked confused "Should what?"

"Become Yuna's guardian."

"Why _me_?"

Lulu turned to him with grave reflection "Because Yuna can't."

"Why not?"

"He hates his father--what he was, what he did." The mage glimpsed down to where Yuna was standing, her ruby eyes clouded. "Do you really think she could possibly say to him…'_I_ _want_ _you_ _to_ _be_ _my_ _guardian_, _like_ _your_ _father_ _was_ _to_ _mine'_?"

Tidus listened intently from his hiding place…so that's why Lulu interrupted Yuna in the jungle.

"Aren't you being over sensitive?" Wakka asked scratching his head.

She threw her hands to her hips abysmally with a disgruntled sigh.

Alright, alright." He complied, giving up "I'll try talking to him after the tournament."

"Be discreet."

Wakka nodded solemnly "I know, it's his decision."

Tidus slipped back down the deck as the conversation ground to an instant halt. Thoughts of Zanarkand played endlessly in his head…thoughts of Jecht. Without knowing it, his feet had led him to the open front of the vessel. The deck was entirely empty…all except for the presence of a lonesome blitzball.

He ran his solid yellow boot over its knobbly surface. The same recollection shot back to him in the instant he touched it, the recollection that plagued him frequently.

-----------------------------------------------------

He was seven years of age.

The blue and white blitzball lingered beneath the sole of his shoe for the first time. Steadying it, he took three steps back. With a fully charged run, he dashed to it. In his haste, his leg flicked the air too soon, throwing him onto his back with a thud.

Dusting himself off, he sighed indignantly unaware that he was being watched.

"Well, well." the gruff voice sneered repulsively as its owner shadowed over him "Trying to follow in my footsteps are you?"

Tidus turned away.

"I usually charge for lessons you know." His father scoffed, taking the ball from his son's possession. "That shot is done like _this_!"

The blonde looked away as Jecht commenced to perform the shot that made him famous. The shot that made him stand out from the crowd. The Jecht Shot.

Jecht landed to his feet with an instantaneous laugh "You can't do it kid! But don't worry, my boy. You're not the _only_ one." He jeered with conceited derision "No one else can do it. I'm the _best_!"

-------------------------------------------------

Tidus stared with swelling animosity as the memory shattered into a thousand pieces. The blood began to boil in his veins, seething with red-hot rancour. With a blast of antipathy he booted the ball with all the strength he could muster. It ricocheted off the front mast with alarmingly vicious speed, and came soaring back to him like a bullet from a gun. He struck it again, and again, and again. Each time, the pure hatred boiling within him, powered within his blows. On the last strike he leapt into the air, spiralling endlessly till the missile reached him. With a powerful drive, his left foot connected and blasted the ball high into the sky at an astounding speed.

Tidus dropped back down to his feet. His amazement surpassed all the emotions within him. "Huh?"

He breathed suddenly, grinning widely with a clenched fist. "The _best_? Yeah, right!"

"Whoa! What's _that_ called?"

Tidus spun round. Wakka and the Aurochs had witnessed everything. Their faces were aghast with rooted astonishment. They'd never seen a shot like it in their lives.

"Doesn't have a name. Anyone can do it if they try!" the blonde confirmed.

"Show us one more time, ya?" Wakka passed him another ball, it was a good job they'd brought lots of spares!

Tidus obeyed, he performed the shot with surprising gracefulness and ease, he was getting better at it already. Landing to his feet, he observed as the Aurochs attempted to copy him…their clumsy efforts were far from spectacular.

"That was the Jecht Shot, wasn't it?" a gentle voice rang in his ear.

Tidus spun round startled.

Yuna lingered close behind him, her dual eyes shone knowingly in an angelic benevolence.

The blitzer took a while to come back to his senses. He strode over to the ship's side, slightly abashed that he'd been rumbled. "How do you know that?" he asked surprised.

He heard her soft footfalls resound lightly behind him as she strayed to follow "Sir Jecht showed it to me when I was a child!" she said with fond recollection "He called it the _'Sublimely_ _Magnificent_ _Jecht_ _Shot_ _Mark_ _III_.'" The summoner laughed good-naturedly. Her memories of Jecht were very different to those Tidus had.

The blitzer groaned in upheaval hearing the ridiculous title once more "Stupid name, huh?" He hopped backwards onto the surrounding rails and perched there looking towards her. "You know, there is no Mark I or Mark II, y'know? My old man said the name Mark III was just something to hook the crowd. He said they'd come back every night expecting to see Mark I and Mark II. And they really _did_ come back. I used to…get so mad!"

Yuna giggled sweetly, Tidus' memories of Jecht really _were_ different to hers.

The blonde fidgeted a while in silence, he was torn in two whether to ask her…"Is…he still alive you think?" he gazed down to her thoughtfully.

"I don't know." She admitted regretfully. "But Sir Jecht _was_ my father's guardian."

"So he's famous here, too?"

"Yes. So if anything were to happen to him, I should think word would get around fast." Her dusky brown locks swept her pale cheeks as she nodded with firm assurance.

"Uh-huh." Tidus leant forward, stuffing his elbows on his knees.

Yuna stood a while in thought, running the tassels on her belt through her fingers "What would you do…if you found him?" she said eventually glancing up to meet his ocean blue eyes.

"Who knows? I thought he died ten years ago." He replied, leaping down from his seat.

"Well…I'd probably just smack him one. After everything he put Mom and me through." The blonde punched the air vehemently with heated decorum "And because he was famous I was always--…well, you should know Yuna." He turned to her suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Your father's famous, too. Everyone in Spira knows him, right?"

She nodded slightly.

"Ain't it tough?" he questioned.

"It is hard to follow in his footsteps as a summoner." She confessed.

"Sure."

"But the honour of having a father like him, surpasses all that, I think." An exquisite smile wiped over her pink lips with the passing of her words.

Tidus frowned, remembering a handful of Jecht's old habits "Well, there wasn't much to honour about _my_ old man, that's for sure!"

"You shouldn't say that about your father!" she said catching her breath.

"I got the right."

Her face mellowed "I guess you do."

Suddenly, out of nowhere an object struck the blitzer's left shoulder sharply, "Ow!" the blitzball fell by his foot with a thud.

He spun round to catch Wakka grinning at him boldly like a Cheshire cat, "Show me dat move again!"

_"I didn't think my old man would come to Luca.  
He never did like watching other people play._

_But I couldn't help feeling something bad was going to happen.  
And these feelings of mine are usually right._

_Sure I had told Wakka I would help him win the tournament.  
But I wasn't sure if I had it in me to play at all anymore."_

To be continued…

_AN: Hiya everyone!  
Just something I wanna mention…  
I added a couple of dialogue sequences here and there involving the Aurochs. Some of you may or may not like this, but I felt it was necessary to show that some form camaraderie existed in the team. The names also needed personalities too. As Tidus will be playing blitz with the Aurochs soon, I thought it would be more interesting if a person passed him the ball rather than a name._

_Yet again, I made this chappie a lot longer than I intended, whoopsie! Hope you didn't get bored half way through…_

_Can't wait to start writing about Luca! Yet there's one scene I'm dreading: the infamous laughter scene. I can't even listen to it without cringing, let alone write about it! _

_Vogue Star (why does always miss out the two stars at either side of my name? It annoys the hell out of me!)_

_Don't forget to review me, please!_


	8. Luca

_**Big thankies** to all who reviewed me! Really appreciated it! Goshinsetsu ni arigatogozaimasu! Oh and sephiroth-souleater, I'll have to disagree with you on "kunno". I have the ffx strategy guide which contains a translator from English to Al Bhed. 'S' in English is stated as a 'C' in Al Bhed, therefore it's 'cunno!'. Doesn't matter because it sounds the same anyway! You say you've beat the game more times than anyone alive? Guess I'll have to beat you and say I've completed it way more times than ten; I'm pushing twenty, I'm sure! Mwahahahahaha! (Sorry, got a bit carried away then!) Oh well, on with the story!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ffx/ffx-2 or the characters in them._

Chapter 8: Luca.

"Yo! Wake up brudda!"

Tidus strained his sleepy eyes open to behold Wakka stood over his motionless form. The redhead was beaming widely, from ear to ear.

"What's up?" the blonde yawned, rubbing his bleary eyes.

"What's _up_? We're here, that's what!" Wakka exclaimed excitedly, grabbing the blitzer by the arm. He hauled him up to a standing position with the greatest of ease "Come look for yourself!"

Wakka rushed off up to the upper deck as Tidus followed wearily. A night on the shifting sea had done his sleep no favours. The gusting of fresh sea air met him as he reached the surface. It blew the unruly hair from his face, and awoke a new feeling within him, as he perceived the awesome sight before his eyes.

The glittering sea was completely covered with vessels of all shapes and sizes; all were sounding their horns euphorically as the blustery wind captured their billowing resplendent sails. As if the imposing fleet wasn't enough, Tidus clapped eyes on their destination. He rushed to the side of the boat and clung onto the mast to get a better look.

In the near distance he could see a huge settlement, the sounds of blaring music and vivacious crowds of people emanated loudly. The blitzer's keen eyes searched the town and locked something much more spectacular on the outskirts: the blitzball stadium.

It jutted out from the rest of the town, and was surrounded by a circular harbour that was divided into five finger-like docks. The stadium itself was covered completely by a single iridescent blue sphere that glistened like twinkling water in the morning sun. On the very top blazed a mighty torch, hailing the dawning of a new season. Sure, it wasn't even big enough to compare with Zanarkand's stadium, but for this quaint place Tidus thought it was pretty impressive.

As the boat drew nearer to the docks, the blitzer could make out swarms of people milling about frenziedly in amongst the dense town. All the buildings were more or less the same height, which wasn't too tall, but the place still had significant presence. The loud speaker blared thunderously within the clamour of noise:

_"Ladies and gentlemen, the day we've all been waiting for!  
The first tournament of the season!"_

Tidus scanned the imposing area brightly; gigantic helium balloons and coloured flags blew about in the windy sea air from the rooftops, reaching up to the skyline. He caught sight of the Aurochs' name on some of them, along with their motif: a turquoise seashell. Seeing the new team name before him, being displayed so proudly instilled a boundless hope within the blitzer; he would win this tournament, not just for Wakka but for Besaid aswell.

Slowly the SS Winno drew closer to the long people-covered docks. The announcers continued to hail loudly as the ship moored in and rested itself beside one of the docks…

_"This event is sponsored by Yevon!  
And this year we celebrate Maester Mika's fiftieth year in office!_

_I'm Bobba Sinclair… and I'm Jimma Mason  
and we're your commentators for the day!"_

"Luca's pretty awesome, huh?" Wakka enthused as Tidus turned back to face him. The rest of the Aurochs were assembled and ready to greet the welcoming crowds. But another team had taken the limelight before them. They were dressed all in green and sported similar stature and build as the Aurochs. Funnily enough, Tidus had never noticed them on board… they were the team from Kilika. Dozens of sphere cameras pointed to the ramp, ready to record the teams' grand entrance and broadcast it to the entire town.

_Bobba: "Ah, over there!  
The ships carrying the players are arriving now!"_

The crowds went wild as the Kilika team stepped into sight at the top of the ramp.

_Bobba: "All the way from Kilika, it's the Kilika Beasts!  
High summoner Ohalland used to play for them--a big name to live up to!  
Their home was recently attacked by Sin, isn't that right Jimma?"_

_Jimma: "Yes, Bobba. They're going to be pulling out all the stops to bring back the cup this year."_

The Kilika Beasts savoured in their moment of fame briefly as they were broadcast all over Luca, before they disembarked, making way for the Aurochs turn.

_Bobba: "Exciting isn't it, folks?  
Our next team of the ramp is…"_

A slight laugh engulfed his voice "…_well, well, well!  
If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs!_

_They're a living, breathing statistical impossibility!  
I've never seen a team this bad!"_

Tidus stood rooted with fractured disbelief as a discontented groan washed over the awaiting crowd, leading onto to almost silence. A faint trickle of applause sounded through the sea of people; only clapped by those who felt it was rude not to. Wakka didn't seem perturbed in the slightest, in fact his grin got wider with the icy welcome. Tidus however was the extreme opposite, he struggled hard to control himself under the harsh gaze of the crowd. He'd never had a reception this bad before, even when he was first starting out as a professional blitzer.

_Bobba: "That's right!  
In twenty-three years they've never made it past the first round!  
Only a few die-hard fans are in the audience today."_

_Jimma: "Best of luck to them, and a safe journey back to Besaid!"_

_Bobba: "Right, Jimma!_

_Moving right along our next team is…"_

The Aurochs were literally ragged from the platform by security and dumped at the back of the crowd in amongst the shadows of the piled cargo crates. Tidus felt his brows contort with aggravation, he'd never been so humiliated in all his life. The crowd went completely berserk as another team stepped up into view. Tidus scowled darkly from the distance, he'd almost forgotten about _them_.

_Bobba: "Here they are folks!  
Our very own Luca Goers!"_

The blonde watched in growing upheaval as the red haired Bickson strutted around like a male peacock along with the others.

_Bobba: "They've got power!  
They've got speed!  
They've got teamwork!_

_They're an all-round first class team and they're back home in Luca!"_

_Jimma: "Without a doubt, they are the favourite this year, Bobba.  
And the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today!"_

_Bobba: "You can say that again, Jimma!_

_Look at the crowd folks!  
Look at the crowd!  
Looks like all of Luca has turned out to cheer the Goers on!  
They know, I know, and you know folks!_

_The Luca Goers are number one!"_

The crowd went hysterical as two more Goers showed up, two girls: the defenders. The screams of rapturous joy were completely deafening as the fans almost escalated out of control.

Tidus huffed in bitter upheaval at all the attention the meathead Goers were getting. And they were lapping it up too. Those lousy good for nothing… they could take their power, speed and teamwork and shove it up their --

"It's like this every year, ya?" Wakka said in a sympathetic tone, as he perceived Tidus' welling fountain grief. "Don't let it bother you!" he went back to leaning with his back against a crate, waiting casually for the crowd to disperse so Yuna, Kimahri and Lulu could disembark.

Tidus let his shoulders sag in exasperation. It was too late. It was _already_ bothering him. He _had_ to do something.

Casting his eyes over the back of the crowd, he spotted a little kid sporting a child's toy megaphone. Before Wakka could even attempt to foil his plan, the young blitzer snatched the toy form the child's hand and clambered hurriedly to the top of the piled rates, overlooking the entire crowd.

"STOP RIGHT THERE _GOERS_!"

There was an immediate silence. The sea of fans turned around with gaping mouths, to lay eyes on the young blitzer. Even the Goers stared in disbelief at the demonically smiling Tidus, who'd interrupted their festivities.

"YOU GUYS ARE SMILIN' NOW, BUT NOT FOR LONG!" the blonde jeered down the megaphone with a deriding grin. "'CAUSE THIS YEAR, US AUROCHS ARE TAKIN' THE CUP!" he followed the uncouth statement with the most evil laugh he could muster.

A thick arm grabbed his ankle rapidly from beneath and hauled him down from his spot like a ragdoll. "What in Yevon's name were you doing up there?" Wakka breathed completely mortified.

Tidus smiled weakly.

"We sure stood out though!" Datto enthused excitedly at the outburst.

Letty backed him up with a chuckle "We were on the sphere!"

"We _were_?" Keepa cried, tidying his dark hair.

Suddenly as if they were pulled by a magnetic force, the crowd dispersed hurriedly, swerving in the direction of another dock. Voices within cried briskly "Maester Mika is here!"

"What? Already?"

"The number three dock!"

"What's up now?" Tidus groaned at the new fuss. He was already mildly agitated that someone else was getting all the attention, rather than him.

"Maester Mika has arrived, that's what!" Yuna said softly, from behind him. She, Kimahri and Lulu had disembarked just in time as the rampaging crowd charged onwards. Yuna had continued to laugh at Tidus' passionate outburst under the chiding glare of Lulu, till she reached the frustrated blitzer.

Tidus looked at the summoner's kindly features with bewilderment "Mika? Maester?"

"Maester Mika is the leader of all the peoples of Spira." Lulu explained "He's come all the way from Bevelle, the tournament is being held to honour his fifty years as maester."

"Fifty years?" Tidus scratched his head "Shouldn't he be, uh, retired by now?"

"Hey! Mind your mouth now!" Wakka gave him a firm whack in the shoulder from behind along with an admonishing stare.

"Let's all go see him!" Yuna interrupted brightly, halting any discord from brewing.

The gang agreed and headed off in the direction the crowd had taken. When they reached the end Tidus noticed the superimposed number two that glimmered on the marble-like flooring beneath his feet. The docks were numbered one to five, and this Mika was on dock three. He followed the others gradually as they paced down the surrounding stadium path. He could see the place was packed out with people, but the most part was assembled excitedly in the oncoming dock, number three.

Before they even reached it, Tidus could see the mighty ship anchored against the side. It was colossal in stature with huge billowing sails of maroon and gold. Each of which adorned a black glyph, one that he recognised from both Besaid and Kilika temple, the emblem of Yevon.

The summoner party joined the avid crowd, eagerly awaiting the appearance of their leader. Tidus strained on his tiptoes to get a better look of the great ramp leading down from the ship's interior.

"Can't see a thing!" he complained, furrowing his brows.

Wakka placed a finger to his lips "Shhhh!"

Tidus threw his hands on his hips impatiently. Suddenly there was a flurry of movement ahead. A triumphant clamour of music sounded loudly as a band played in welcoming tribute. The sea of heads parted slightly allowing Tidus to see exactly what was going on up ahead.

He watched curiously as a small gathering of heavily armoured guards proceeded from the ship. As they descended down the steep ramp, they dispersed revealing the person they protected.

Before the crowd stood an extremely tall man with outlandish blue hair, that swept down over his shoulders. Tidus eyed him warily; he was so odd looking, almost imp-like with glistening violet-grey eyes that shone like pools of molten silver. His attire seemed to be completely ceremonial, consisting mostly of long draping robes with long sleeves that led down to his extremely oversized hands, each of which was arrayed with long claw-like fingernails. The area of exposed chest he displayed was also strange; it bore bizarre markings and dark tattoos of what seemed to be dragons that writhed in flame under his long corded necklace.

All in all, the man looked rather young much to Tidus' surprise; this Mika was sure doing well for his age. Yet the crowd's reaction said it all, this was not Mika. Hushed whispers emanated from all around the young blitzer…

"That's a Guado, right?" someone murmured.

"Who could it be?" questioned another.

"Isn't that Maester Seymour?"

Without waiting for much longer the blue haired man turned and knelt in bowed reverence to the ship. The whole crowd (with the exception of Tidus) bowed respectfully also, delivering the Yevon prayer. A host of orange robed monks appeared from the inside of the ship. In the midst of them, was a small elderly man; with a long white beard. Almost crippled he seemed as the monks aided him down the same level as the people.

"People of Spira." He began, with a whispery aged voice "I thank you for your generous welcome. Rise maester Seymour… and all of you aswell. I present to you…the son of maester Jyscal Guado who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past."

The tall man faced the crowd once more, and bowed deeply to them. Tidus saw the strange shining sinuous markings on the man's face. He didn't strike the blitzer as a human at all…

"As some of you already know," Mika continued weakly "he has been officially ordained a maester of Yevon."

The man addressed the crowd with a wry smile "I am Seymour Guado. I am honoured to receive the title of maester." His voice had a peculiar nasal twinge that sounded intensely un-harmonious to the young blitzer. "In life, my father Jyscal worked to foster friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy and fulfil my duties as maester, to the best of my abilities."

Tidus raised a doubtful eyebrow, _'What_ _a_ _monologue_!' he thought _'This_ _guy_ _could_ _talk_ _a_ _glass_ _eye_ _to_ _sleep_!' So he _wasn't_ human after all… but what was a Guado supposed to be? As a matter of fact, what were these maesters? He observed Seymour with growing discontent, something about him didn't quite stick. Something in his manner struck an instant discord in Tidus, something that the blitzer couldn't explain. Maybe it was the way the crowd watched him in silent adoration, or maybe it was the way his slow strange glance searched them all in quiet contemplation. Whatever it was, it agitated the hell out of Tidus.

Mika began to depart with his guards with Seymour close behind. The crowd bowed once more respectfully.

Wakka gave the motionless blonde a nudge with his elbow "You too! Bow your head!" he hissed.

Tidus didn't move. He watched cautiously as Seymour cast his silvery eyes back towards them, discovering Yuna in the crowd. Her innocent gaze of fresh hope met his alluring hazed stare that blazed beneath his thick blue lashes.

Yuna gasped silently at the maester's coveting glances as he turned back and departed. Tidus detected the Seymour's sudden interest immediately and looked back to Yuna questionably. Her head hung downwards, the radiant sparkle in her eyes was extinguished as her gaze roved the shimmering floor. She almost seemed anxious…

"Really psyches you up, ya?" Wakka confirmed brightly, as the crowed spread and scattered from the dock. The matches were literally hours away from now.

Leaving Yuna in the care of Kimahri and Lulu, Wakka and the Aurochs led Tidus on the winding trail to the changing rooms. The young blitzer fell back several times as he took in the sights of Luca. It was a good job that Wakka had told him the way, for not long after he blitzer found himself alone. Slowly but surely he pressed on through the lingering swarms of people. He found himself at a small junction in between docks one and five. The changing rooms were some stairs at either side of a small blitzball booth in the very centre, beneath the stadium. Tidus ascended the steps on the right hand side and followed a short corridor down. There were three doors on his left, each had the motif of a team inscribed on it. At the very end of the corridor was a fourth door, the door to the sphere pool. The Aurochs were the last on the left.

He turned the small chrome handle and entered. The room within was simple yet intricately designed. Both side-walls were arrayed with yellow lockers and long wooden benches lay in the centre of the room. The Aurochs logo was everywhere, even on the long rows of blitzballs that were stacked on a nearby rack displayed the island motif. Upon hearing the door open, the boys immediately stood up in heated anticipation with gasps of expectancy. When they saw it was Tidus they slumped back down onto the benches.

"Where's Wakka?" Tidus inquired, noting the islander's absence as he scanned the room.

"At the match up draws." Jassu replied tossing a ball nervously from one hand to another.

"We had to play the Goers in the first match last year!" Datto whined as he lay down on the planked bench.

"And the year before that, and the one before that, too!" Botta complained sorrowfully.

"Well, we would've lost to anyone anyway!" Keepa informed, hoping to inspire some brightness in the boys. Fat chance.

Suddenly the door burst open, almost blasting off it's hinges. Wakka stood there with a face as bold as brass.

"Cap'n Wakka!" Datto exclaimed. Everyone stood up eagerly, dying to know what their fate would be.

Wakka giggled merrily clenching his fist. "We're playin' the Al Bhed Psyches first. If we win, we're in the finals!"

Nobody caught on right away.

"That's right, we got seeded! Two wins and we're the champions!" the islander beamed.

"Alright!" the Aurochs hailed in a celebratory cheer. If they beat the Psyches they'd be through to the last round; things were definitely looking up!

But as always, Wakka was ready to put a damper on things "First things first. Let's go through the basics again, boys."

The team groaned tiredly, it was strategy time.

The past hour was extremely laborious for the young blitzer, listening to Wakka's droning tactics really tired him out. Tidus let out a loud yawn as another presence steeped hurriedly into the room.

"There you are!"

The blitzer turned to find Yuna staring at him in bright relief.

"Someone said they saw Sir Auron in a café!" she explained exuberantly.

"Au-_Auron_?" Tidus spluttered.

Yuna nodded "Yes, Sir Auron! Let's go find him!" she implored, clasping her hands together at her waist.

Tidus rose slowly from his seat and followed her to the door. Before his hand could even close upon the handle, a sudden outburst hindered his actions.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Wakka protested urgently "The game starts like real soon. C-come back quick, ya?" The islander's voice was almost frantic, it was obvious that the nervous pressure was getting to him.

"Hey, I'll be back." Tidus reassured.

"Yeah, okay…"

The blitzer looked back to Wakka in amusement, the islander's words hid his feigned confidence well, it was his posture that gave it away. "Hey Wakka. You're stiff, man."

"Huh?" the redhead clapped his hands over his broad cheeks.

"No, no, not your face!" Tidus corrected "Just breathe, relax."

"Wakka flinched awkwardly, "Okay." He breathed deeply and loudly, letting his body calm from the quaking nervousness inside.

Yuna giggled amusedly at the comical spectacle, whereas Lulu shook her head in shame. The summoner departed through the door with Tidus close behind her, leaving Wakka and the others to wait out the few minutes until their first match.

When he got to the corridor, Tidus saw Kimahri standing there, waiting for Yuna. As always the ronso had his bulky arms folded in complete silence. Lulu had stayed in the locker room with the Aurochs, apparently she had to have another chat with the islander…

"Maybe now we can find Sir Jecht!" Yuna said with a hopeful smile.

"Huh? How?" Tidus inquired, not quite catching on to what she was saying.

"Sir Auron was also my father's guardian. So, he might know where Sir Jecht is!" she explained with an encouraging glint in her illustrious dual eyes.

The blitzer recoiled intrinsically; finding Jecht had to be on the bottom of his list of priorities. But, Auron…

"Let's go now!" the summoner wandered down the corridor hurriedly, with Kimahri walking heavily behind her, at close quarters.

_"It didn't even occur to me to think that the Auron Yuna was talking about and the one I knew from Zanarkand could be two different people.  
I don't know why, but I knew it was the same guy._

_I knew it was the same Auron."_

Tidus headed after Yuna, but something; or rather someone caught his attention before he reached the door at the other end of the corridor. There were two men standing against the side wall just before the exit. Both wore odd coloured leather garb and thick round goggle over their eyes. They spoke to each other closely as Tidus approached.

"Y myto _summoner_!"

"Fa sicd nabund."

Tidus recognised the language immediately, they were Al-Bhed. "Hey!" he exclaimed running over "Al Bhed Psyches, right? Some Al-Bhed saved me the other day and… This girl Rikku gave me food and…-"

He stopped abruptly as he noticed their numb glances. He laughed sheepishly "Uh… you don't understand me, do you?"

The pair stared at him in silence.

Tidus blinked "Uh… anyway, if you meet Rikku, tell her thanks for me." He said, almost shouting like he was speaking to some kind of simpleton. "Oh, and as for the first game? May the best team win!" He clenched his fist with an air of sportsmanship, despite the fact they couldn't tell a word he was saying; it was all gibberish to them.

They watched him blankly as he departed through the exit, which Yuna had taken seconds earlier. The blitzer caught sight of her disappearing into the centre of town as he stood at the top of the stairs. He scampered down hurriedly to catch up, but the swarming crowds hindered him heavily Clambering through the sheer mass of people, he found himself facing some very new surroundings.

Before him was a wide circle absolutely covered with blitz fans. In the very midst was a tall sign post, fully lined with chrome arrows that pointed in all directions. From the hazed distance he endeavoured to see Yuna amongst the swirling ocean of heads. Her crystalline face shone out to him immediately from within, but her presence had yet again not gone unnoticed.

A small grouping gathered around the 'daughter of Braska' armed to the teeth with sphere cameras and microphones. Yuna batted off the rash of attention with a bashful smile. "I'm sorry, please let me through." She voiced politely with a bow.

The people made way for her to walk freely, allowing the blitzer to gain access to her.

"Hey, let's go!" she hissed as he approached.

Seeing the staring eyes dance upon her from every direction, a wide smile passed over his face "You're _really_ famous!" he gushed.

Yuna laughed awkwardly as her face turned a rather fetching rose colour. Kimahri led her through slowly with Tidus stuck behind. Yet the path onwards was no better.

The summoner scanned the bustling concourse ahead warily. "I hope we don't get separated…"

No one was there to answer her, the blitzer had found himself caught up in the hysteria yet again, and was thrust back into the crowd. "Yuna!" he put his fingers to his mouth a whistled in a shrill pitch to catch her attention.

The summoner turned back immediately: her soft face filled with astonished awe. "What was _that_?" she breathed, gazing up at him with wonder.

Tidus burst into a fit of mirthful laughter "In Zanarkand, we do _this_ to cheer on blitz players!"

Yuna watched in fascination as the blitzer whistled loudly through his fingers once more.

"You try it too!" he suggested with a gladdening smile. "Put you fingers in your mouth like this!" his words muffled as he stuffed in the gloved digits.

"Like…this?" she placed her long intricate fingers in her mouth neatly.

"Uh-uh, not like that! This."

She copied the blitzer closely, with a child-like interest.

"Then you just blow!" he nodded, careful not to let his slaver escape down his fingers.

Yuna took a few deep breaths, blowing through her fingers rapidly. The only sound that escaped was the air. "It's not working." She said taking her fingers away with a sweet smile.

"Practise!"

"Okay."

"Hey!" Tidus exclaimed suddenly as the idea struck him. "Use that if we get separated. Then, I'll come running, okay?"

She agreed with an angel-like smile.

"Well, guess we should stick together then, till you can do it!" he laughed, smacking himself inwardly for being so stupid.

"Yes, Sir!"

Before they could converse any more, Yuna was interrupted by Kimahri's pressing dark glare; urging her to press on. Quickly the summoner obeyed and continued down the long bridge road into the centre of Luca. Tidus pursued, with a lively smile, happy that he'd taught her something. Maybe she'd be asking him how to spit next?…then again, maybe not…

Pretty soon the blitzer found himself faced with the central circle of the town. It was of course, circular in shape, despite the fact it was called the 'town square'. Surprisingly, not as many people were gathered in this area. There were, however dozens of stalls selling all sorts of blitz memorabilia, along with food. The place was still as noisy. In the very centre was a tall cenotaph that proudly displayed the name of 'Luca' along with a list of all the town mayors to date. Tidus stared in slight wonder at its silver glimmering spire that reached up above him.

Long rows of triangular flags hung from the low rise roofs of the buildings, displaying all the blitz team names proudly Everything was so colourful here, from the tournament decorations to the big balloons that the children played with. Spira sure knew how to get into the spirit of things! Looking around at the charming community, the blitzer found it hard to believe that it was hanging by a thread under the barbarous threat of Sin.

"Whoa, this is a pretty big town!" Tidus commented gazing about him in enthralled wonder at the resplendent glamour of the sea-faring town.

"Luca is the second largest city in Spira." Yuna confirmed, halting beside him demurely.

Kimahri in the meantime stomped away over to the other side of the square, keeping a watchful eye on her from the distance.

"I thought every town was little-- Y'know like Besaid and Kilika." Tidus admitted with a cheerful grin.

"Towns don't usually get bigger than that…." Her voice dropped in a sudden flash of solemnity as she strayed away from him. "…Because, when a lot of people start to gather-…"

His gaze steadied to her "Sin…?"

The summoner's nodded slowly with a deep sigh.

"But what about Luca?" Tidus asked looking around "It's safe here?"

"It's not any different, but the stadium is here." she turned back to him, her lovely face filled with straining woe. "The Crusaders fight to protect it, with all their strength."

The blitzer contorted his tanned features with utmost perplexity "They protect the _stadium_?" The sheer idea sounded completely bizarre.

"Blitzball is really the only entertainment that we have." "Yuna blinked innocently "Spira's a little short on fun these days…" her voice lowered sorrowfully with the passing of her words.

Tidus staggered back, slapping his hand to his forehead. "Whoa, talk about pressure!" he whined. It wasn't just Wakka and the Aurochs he was playing for after all. It was the whole of Spira!

Yuna laughed softly "That's right!" Her gleaning eyes probed their surroundings closely as another thought took possession of her mind. She fiddled with the embroidered hem on her yellow belt "Is Zanarkand like this too?" her curiosity was exposed, as was her strange interest in his home.

Tidus appreciated the fact that she believed him above all the others. He spun around thoughtfully. Luca really couldn't be compared to Zanarkand: the gigantic metropolis, it was more like a single district in size; but he wasn't going to _say_ that. Keen not to dampen her longing desire for knowledge, he decided top phrase it a different way. "Well, there are more buildings." He said as her face lit up with pure joy. "All tall ones and cramped together!"

The summoner gasped in wonder and gazed up to the heavens, shielding her eyes from the bright sun "They must be _so_ tall!" she breathed. Her gracious stare glazed over dreamily as she tried to imagine a city that was beyond the limits of her imagination. "Don't you ever get dizzy?"

Tidus laughed briefly at the jocund question.

Yuna took his reaction in good spirits with a charming giggle. "Let's go find Sir Auron!"

Tidus nodded, slapping himself upside the head, he'd almost forgotten about _him_. He followed Yuna closely as she led down a winding way to their destination. She stopped before a long red carpeted alcove, at the bottom of which Kimahri was standing sentinel by the door. Tidus figured that this was the place that Auron was supposedly spotted.

The pair wandered down to the motionless ronso and entered the building. The smell of cooked food engulfed them as they steeped inside. Tidus clutched his stomach hungrily, wondering whether they had time to stop for a quick bite to eat.

Looking round he could see the place was littered with small round tables, all were surrounded completely by hoards of people waiting to watch the tournament on the large screen behind the bar.

"Auron's not here." Tidus sighed disappointedly, as his eyes failed to spot a red robed warrior in amongst the crowds. Watching blitzball wasn't Auron's scene anyway…

"Let's ask around." Yuna suggested determined not to give up the search as quickly as Tidus was.

They split up and began asking around about a tall man in red. Tidus was tempted to ask if anyone had seen a grouch, but he put his humour on hold. He had some questions, some very serious questions to ask… and Auron was the only one who had the answers.

The blitzer had all but given up hope on the search when a small commotion caught his attention at the other side of the bar. He peered over to see Kimahri faced with two more fellow-ronso. Tidus gasped silently when he laid eyes on them…and he thought _Kimahri_ was big before! These guys were huge. Each of them was equally at least a foot bigger then Yuna's sullen guardian and their chests twice as wide. They were truly terrific beasts in size, frightfully terrific.

Both of them also possessed a prominent feature; which Kimahri seemed to lack, a gigantic cone shaped horn that protruded from each of their heads proudly. The guardian at least had the remains of one; Tidus wondered what had happened to it.

"Why not talk Kimahri?" the first growled, his hairy skin was lighter in shade than the guardian's and dark grey fur emitted in tufts from his wide shoulders and the top of his head. His voice was deep and guttural in tone, which seemed almost fitting for his brutish appearance. "Not see Yenke for ten years! Say something!" he demanded coarsely in fractured language. His gigantic hand clenched into a colossal fist and slammed into Kimahri's shoulder with a violent hostility.

The guardian didn't flinch nor move a muscle.

"Kimahri forget Yenke? Forget Biran?" the same ronso sneered with a salivating jaw.

Tidus crept closer as Kimahri continued to stand entirely motionless. From the sounds of it, the guardian had a history with the maniacal pair before him.

The second ronso piped up, a swarthy specimen of the race that had golden coloured hair arranged in the same fashion as his companion. Presumably, this brute was Biran.

"Leave Kimahri, Yenke" he jeered through serrated fangs, "Kimahri is _small_ ronso. Kimahri so small can't see Yenke and Biran's faces!"

Yenke, the other, tittered wildly at the insult as he eyed the guardian darkly with his searing yellow eyes. His face sobered suddenly as the anger began to bubble within him "Kimahri forget ronso friends?" he cried wrathfully "We taught you much at time of horn-moult!" Yenke's head reared forward, pointing the intimidating dagger-like edge of his horn down upon Kimahri. "Biran taught Kimahri to be strong ronso!"

"Maybe taught too much." Biran sneered scornfully. He aimed to deal his share of violence toward Kimahri, but the guardian caught him by surprise as a flash on anger flickered over his feline eyes. He knocked the arm away stiffly before it even touched him.

Somehow Tidus found himself revelling in Kimahri's sudden defiant streak. Maybe it was because he loathed his father; maybe it was because he loathed bullies as a whole. Whatever it was it got him egging the ronso on like a spectator at the drag races, "Take 'em on!" he cried.

To his amazement, Kimahri clenched his fist and delivered a superb left upper cut to Yenke's jaw. The deriding ronso swung round on the force of the impact and went crashing down to the ground, taking a couple of cutlery-filled tables with him. The sound of smashing china alerted everyone to the precarious situation, including the owner of the café.

"Take it outside!" he hollered from behind the bar "The tournament's starting, you hear?"

While Kimahri was distracted, Biran played a cheap trick and gave the ronso a taste of his own medicine, driving a brute force punch into the unsuspecting guardian's face.

Tidus gasped "The game!" he cried in mortified surprise as Kimahri stood his ground. The blitzer had completely forgotten about the match!

He swung round and glued his eyes to the wide screen behind the bar, like everyone else. From the looks of the outside broadcast, the stadium was already packed out. Mika was stood in the special balcony box above the sphere pool that was reserved for special guests; Seymour was close behind him. The captains from each blitz team were aligned before the pool ready for the opening speech. The air was tense as the whole of Luca waited for the grand maester to begin. Tidus blinked as Wakka's face flashed past on the screen. All was ready.

"Today, on this glorious day," Mika began breathlessly "…players from all over Spira have assembled here to participate in this great contest of bravery, skill, and strength. All of these fine teams, equally renowned, deserved to win the cup today. Such is the nature of this contest. Let us the spectators play our role accordingly: Let us sing to the glory of the winners and applaud equally, the valour of the defeated." He raised his bony withered hands to form the Yevon prayer to the players shakily. "Contestants, may Yevon be with you."

An almighty cheer roared out in the stadium, much like in the café. Tidus watched with an abiding smile as the Aurochs took their places in the sphere pool, along with the Al Bhed Psyches. If he hurried back with the others he could get there in time to be a sub, _and_ be ready for the second match.

"Yu-" the blitzer turned back to an empty space. His eyes darted frantically from one place to the next, desperate in their search. A sudden quaking uneasiness made itself known within him, he almost felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach, and hard too.

"Kimahri!" he yelled frenziedly over the clamour "Yuna's gone!"

To be continued…

_AN: I'm not to happy with the way this chapter turned out, maybe it's because I don't like the subject matter: there's no action for a start, just introductions of new characters. It's probably because of this that I don't feel my writing is up to scratch this week, I may even go as far as editing the whole thing over again!_

_It was my original intention to put the fight with the Al Bhed machina at the end of this chapter. But Yuna's kidnap seemed to be a good enough cliff-hanger. Well, that's if you can call it a cliff-hanger: we already know what's happened to her!_

_I'm looking forward to introducing Auron to the story in the next chapter then the pilgrimage can really kick off. As I said last time, I'm really not looking forward to writing the laughter scene.It is one of the most prominent sequencesthat reflects the development of trust etc, between Tidus and Yuna, so it would be wrong to leave it out.  
I work out what to write somehow!_

_Vogue Star_

_PS Can anyone tell me what this new messaging thing is on everyone's profile page. Is it something to do with sending each other private notes? I have no idea. Btw, I'm gonna be updating my profile page some time in the near future, I read it back to myself the other day and realised how lame I sounded!_

_Oh and apparently we can reply directly to reviews now, via the review page. Someone once told me that we weren't allowed to reply to reviews on our chapters. Guess I've been bending the rules!_

_Don't forget to review me peeps!  
Mata ato de!_


	9. Revelation

_Thankies to everyone that reviewed the last chapter, you guys rock!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ffx/ ffx-2 or the characters in them._

Chapter 9: Revelation

In a sudden plight of anxious dread, Tidus burst from the café entrance like greased lightning. His panic-stricken eyes scanned his surroundings frenziedly as his heart pounded mercilessly in his chest. To his complete and utter despair, there was no sign of the elusive summoner.

Luca had quieted somewhat now that the tournament was underway; everyone was either up at the stadium or indoors watching the Aurochs clash against the Al Bhed Psyches on their sphere screens. This made no difference to finding Yuna however; Tidus didn't know Luca well at all, so finding her would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. He ran his fingers through his flaxen locks, cursing under his breath abysmally. This was worse than a dilemma, it was a catastrophe: what were the others going to say?…

Slow pounding footsteps behind him, suddenly alerted the blitzer to Kimahri's presence. The ronso had left his assailant Biran, to deal with the other, Yenke: who at this point in time was led completely unconscious on the café floor amongst a sea of shattered china. Kimahri too, probed their whereabouts; his emotions however were much less vocal than Tidus'. The ronso's feline stare passed silently over every person, every object in their path: still Yuna evaded his eyes. His fear was veiled, unlike Tidus': which was only increased ten-fold when he clapped eyes on an infuriated Lulu coming their way.

The mage marched toward them, looking akin to an enraged schoolteacher: her face twisted with an unconfined rage.

"Where in Spira have you been?" she interrogated with an admonishing stare.

"Huh?" The blitzer flapped his lips in a complete daze, like a whimpering child; no words could escape his mouth as he stared at her as her hands were glued firmly to her hips.

"Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches!" she explained bitterly "In exchange for her safe return, they want the Aurochs to lose."

"_What_?" the blitzer blurted out in disbelief, shaking the dizziness from his head. It sounded so ridiculous, what on earth were the Al Bhed playing at?

"If they're only blitzball players, I doubt they'd do anything drastic." Lulu replied with a firm nod, her anger subsiding momentarily. "But we shouldn't take chances. Let's go get her." She motioned to the ronso, who began to follow her away slowly.

Tidus made chase in a sudden burst of hardihood, stamping his foot firmly on the ground, "I'm going too!" He did after all feel partly to blame for Yuna being taken… "This will be no problem!" the blonde added confidently. "They're telling the Aurochs to throw the game, as if they needed to! I mean, how good a team can they _be_?"

Lulu stopped in her tracks abruptly and stared back at him with a sceptical eye. She heavily doubted that the blitzer would be of any use to her and Kimahri: and besides his place was up at the stadium, where he was _meant_ to be waiting for the next match. If the rescue mission took longer than anticipated then Tidus would miss the whole tournament, and therefore break his promise of winning the cup to Wakka. But on the other hand, his sudden bout of dedication towards the summoner was strangely convincing, it even verged on the potency of a guardian's role; and Lulu noticed this. Maybe he _could_ help them after all…

"Wakka said the same thing." She retorted with a compromising glint in her eyes "He'll take care of the game. _We_ should go get Yuna. The Al Bhed boat is in dock four. Let's go!" The mage didn't wish to dwell on why Tidus was so willing to help any longer.

Together, the three of them rushed back through the town centre and across the bridge road, which now only supported a few stragglers. Tidus ignored the questionable glances he received from the townsfolk; blitzers weren't meant to be wandering about around town when the matches were being held. He indeed raised a few eyebrows. Unbeknown to him however, rumours were already circulating about a player that claimed to come from Zanarkand of all places. Being in _his_ unusual garb, it hadn't taken long for the whole of Luca to single Tidus out. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he was causing a shed load of controversy throughout the town.

Yet, as the trio passed through the empty streets, now drained completely of life and vitality: Tidus realised the extent of love Spirans really had for blitzball. The entire place was an astonishingly stark contrast to before, when it was bustling with life. As his azure eyes dotted the skyline, scanning the forlorn flags that moved despondently in the wind, he could see just how drastically _and_ quickly everything had shifted. Blitzball really must've been they're only source of fun: it was just as Yuna said.

Yuna.

No sooner had her name entered his head, the summoner took restraint of his thoughts. He could recall the soothing sweet tone of her voice: the innocent shyness that came over her if her glance ever met his at the same moment. What on earth did the Al Bhed want with her? The thoughts of blitzball went colliding to the back of his mind, all he could think about was retrieving her, and safely, too. Of course, she wasn't in _that_ much jeopardy, he was sure of it; but he couldn't stop…worrying. He wondered why he was so bothered all of a sudden…was it really 'all of a sudden?'

The blitzer shook his head in frustration, ridding himself of the notions, as he followed Lulu and the ronso closer and closer to the dock area: his abstruse thoughts confused him at the best of times.

The familiar junction appeared before them shortly, the one that led up to the stadium entrance with the locker rooms located at the top of the stairs.

"This way!" Lulu veered off in the direction of dock five, a shortcut was on the cards; they'd stop the Al Bhed in no time.

Kimahri rushed after her along with Tidus; the blitzer's heart sank immediately when he perceived the tall pile of cargo crates thwarting their path onwards.

"What is _this_?" Tidus screeched in annoyance, scanning the crates' haphazard formation.

"Must be the Al Bhed's doing." Lulu replied, slightly perturbed. "Let's go the other way!" she turned heel with the ever silent Kimahri and hurried over in the direction of dock one. The three of them would have to run all the way around past docks one, two and three to get to four, now.

"Damn it!" Tidus bellowed, letting fly a brutal kick to the nearest crate. He darted off after the guardians quickly, just as they reached dock number two.

Tidus saw the emblazoned number two forged in the shining marble floor before him as he reached Kimahri and Lulu's position. Strangely, the two of them had stopped suddenly, and were staring straight ahead in what seemed to be tense expectation.

The blitzer only realised just what they were doing when he got closer. Crouched a few metres away, were the strangest little contraptions he'd ever seen. There were two in total, coloured a dull blue. To Tidus' unqualified eyes they looked like little robots, both armed with a single razor-sharp blade on one arm. Whatever they were, they scared the living daylights out of the people round and about, even the guards aligned at the bottom of the dock were backing away from them cautiously.

Suddenly as if by magic, the strange devices sprung to live with a loud mechanical whirr. Both of them raised their tiny robotic head, and began to chug up and down on the spot. There was a surprising menacing air about them; something that didn't take the blitzer's fancy.

"Whoa! What are _they_?" he cried, observing them with a prudent interest.

"Ancient machina salvaged by the Al Bhed." Lulu answered casually, as she tidied her long asymmetrical fringe with her purple fingernails.

Kimahri unveiled his long shafted spear with a disgruntled growl as the machina advanced upon them slowly. Tidus watched in horror as one of the tiny things lunged for the ronso suddenly, trying its best to stab its blade into his muscular blue leg. Kimahri retaliated with a ferocious strike down upon the blue metal skull. The contraption reeled instantly and began staggering backwards with sparks flying from its head chamber.

Tidus noticed a small smirk pass over the mage's face, as she perceived the malfunction "They're mostly vulnerable to lightning." She said, opening her clasped palms.

The blitzer recoiled; he knew what that meant instantly. The hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end as he recalled with restrained fondness, what happened last time he witnessed Lulu's thunder spell.

In a flash of uncharacteristic delight, the mage raised her right arm to the heavens. As she cast it down, an immense bolt of snapping blue lightning emerged out of nowhere: crashing down on the malfunctioning machina's head. Instantly, the contraption blew into a thousand pieces in a colossal cloud of black smoke, littering the ground with multiple shards of steaming scrap metal. Tidus shuddered; Lulu's powers were unbelievable at times…

Yet there was still one more machina to deal with, and this one was fully operational. Tidus unsheathed the Brotherhood and gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to lay down some hurt, there was a scream of agony beside him.

He spun round just in time to see another machina drawing its blade from Lulu's leg. A third device had sneaked up behind while they were occupied, it was gonna pay big time for that nasty trick. He swung his tremendous blade down upon the sword arm of the machina, completely severing the metallic limb. The contraption buckled, and fell onto its back; sparks spewed from its open joint as it struggled to get back to its feet once more.

Lulu, by this point wasn't faring well at all. Her leg had taken the blow badly and the profuse bleeding would not stop. Realising her predicament, Tidus fumbled in his pocket for something, anything to help her…although he didn't know what. Before he could uncover anything, Kimahri was there to help. The ronso placed his strong hand in his own garb and revealed a small blue vial that contained a strange viscous liquid. Without hesitating, Kimahri threw the vial towards the mage. Instead of letting her catch it, the small bottle burst in mid air before reaching her. The contents zipped quickly to the mage and completely surrounded her in a glittering green shine.

In an instant the cloudy hue about her disappeared, as did the wound on her leg. Tidus slapped himself upside the head: healing potions, of course!

Putting the small dilemma behind them, they aimed their focus back onto the enemy. Tidus immediately turned on the fallen machina that attacked the mage letting the Brotherhood slam down on the machina's neck, completely decapitating the bizarre contraption and thus starving its body of an energy supply. Kimahri in the meantime had grander plans. The ronso backed up slowly, before running at full speed towards the remaining device. When he was within mere inches of reaching it, he sprang alarmingly high into the air. With a tremendous burst of strength, he powered down onto the machina, allowing his spear to drive in a vertical fashion, all the way down through its body. The machina, completely impaled, fell to pieces instantly under the sheer force of the attack no sooner had Kimahri's feet landed safely on the ground.

With a sigh of relief, the fight was over and the trio was left surrounded by the shattered and charred remains of their assailants. But it wasn't long before something else caught their attention, delaying them still from rescuing the summoner.

The sphere screen: it hung proudly above them displaying immediate coverage of the Aurochs match. The three of them found themselves lingering to watch it momentarily, just to perceive how Wakka was coping.

As the speakers blared, they could see that the Psyches had already scored two goals against the Aurochs. Somehow, Wakka and the guys had fought back valiantly and scored two also. It was neck and neck between them already, and the uncompromising struggle for victory had begun. Little did the spectators know that a summoner's safety hung in the balance.

_Bobba: "The Aurochs are keeping the score tied with some excellent defence folks!"_

Tidus watched in anticipation as Wakka took possession of the ball from Letty, only to end up in a tangled mass of Al Bhed players. Three struck at him at once, all at the same time: something that was a drastic bending of the rules.

"Those guys suck!" Tidus jeered aloud, as one delivered a stonking blow to Wakka's stomach. The whole crowd cried in empathy on the impact. It was truly brutal.

_Bobba: "Ow! He'll feel that one in the morning!"  
Jimma: "But the referee doesn't call the foul! Wakka's taking a real beating out there."_

Immediately the redhead loosed his grip on the ball, letting the Psyches claim it. He floated aimlessly in the centre of the sphere pool like a piece of driftwood as the poisonous venom from the attack blasted its way excruciatingly through his veins.

"Still in there!" Tidus exclaimed, perceiving the agony of his comrade. Someone of Wakka's build could get over a venom tackle easily.

"He won't last." Lulu sighed, bringing her hand to her shaking head "Wakka's always like that."

"Ouch!" Tidus said, recoiling.

"Let's go!" the mage stated, turning away from the screen somewhat haughtily.

Dock four awaited and they reached it just in time. The metallic Al Bhed ship was preparing to depart and had already begun sailing slowly away from the harbour.

"Quick!"

They leapt on board just in time, before the boat could slip out of their reach. Anticipating another attack, Tidus and Kimahri held their itching weapons ready. The interior door slowly zipped open as they stood their ground.

An alleviated sigh of relief escaped their lips in unison, as they perceived the being in the doorway: Yuna. She stepped out coyly, as an Al Bhed man slipped down the doorframe, completely out cold. Heaven knows what she'd done to him!

Sensing she'd come to no harm, the mage rushed over to her "I hope you hurt them." She said, smoothing her pale hand over the summoner's soft hair.

"A little." Yuna breathed with a beguiling smile as her glittering gaze passed over the unconscious man in the doorway. Yet at that moment, Tidus was the one that caught her eye. He was peering down into the interior inquisitively: as a matter of fact he was staring at the whole ship inquisitively.

Satisfied that Yuna was okay, Tidus had let his eyes wander to his surroundings, making him realise something he hadn't noticed before now. This ship, it seemed completely identical to the one he'd been on….

Yuna stared at him mildly concerned; his behaviour was strangely over-curious even for him. "What is it?" she inquired.

"There were these Al Bhed that saved my life when I first came to Spira." The blitzer explained "They took me on their ship, even gave me food. I was kinda hoping that this the same ship. But it's not." He concluded ruefully. "I wonder if they're all gone…"

"What happened?" Yuna asked; her unusual grave stare probed his features solemnly.

"Sin came up near us." He said "I made it out okay, but I don't know what happened to their ship."

The summoner hesitated for a while, as a thought pestered her intrinsically. "Um, was there anyone called _Cid_ on that ship?" her voice was somewhat weak, this person sounded almost dear to her…

"I don't know." Tidus replied, narrowing his eyes with an instinctive honesty "They were all speaking that that Al Bhed language."

Yuna's head dipped glumly "I see…"

"So, who's Cid?" the blitzer asked casually, as he sprang up to sit on the side rails.

Yuna looked to him, a deep mysterious glint shone in her eyes despite the fact her face manifested a perpetual sweet sadness "He's my uncle, but I've never actually met him."

"Oh." Tidus nodded understandingly, stuffing his elbows on his knees so he could lean on his hands. That was, until it clicked. "Wait! So that means you're Al Bhed, too, Yuna?"

"On my mother's side, yes." She replied earnestly "Cid is my mother's brother. He became distant after my mother married… But she told me to seek him out, if I ever needed help."

"You're worried he was…?" Tidus rubbed his chin; he got the feeling he was opening up old wounds that were meant to be healed...

"Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage." Lulu interrupted with a sudden vehemence. "The thing about Wakka -- he never had much love for the Al Bhed."

"Whoa!" Tidus sprung from the bars like he'd just had an electric shock "I gotta tell Wakka!" He exclaimed, running about in a panic like some kind of headless chicken.

"I thought I just told you _not_ to tell Wakka!" the mage scolded.

Yuna cracked on immediately, that's not what he meant "The game!" she cried turning to Lulu.

"Oh!" The mage gasped, she'd almost forgot about it, too. Wakka didn't know that Yuna was safe, she had to alert him; otherwise he couldn't win the match! Hurriedly, she threw her arm up into the air releasing a blinding ball of fluorescent blue light. It shot to the upper limits of the sky, making itself visible for miles around, even visible to those in the sphere pool.

Wakka saw the orb glinting in the corner of his eye; he was still suffering badly from the attack earlier. Gritting his teeth and bearing the pain, he signalled to the Aurochs. They knew what the deal was. Swimming to his aid, they took on a full out attack formation. Yet, time was not on their side. Something drastic had to be done.

_Bobba:" Thirty seconds left and the Aurochs are launching an all out offensive!"_

Snatching the ball following a minor tussle, Letty took possession. He let fly his mid fielding speciality: a tremendously long pass, right to the other end of the sphere pool. The spectators watched on tenterhooks on the edge of their seats as the ball whizzed through the water. In an amazing feat, Wakka grasped it just in time as one of the Psyches defenders charged for him. The redhead flipped over driving his heels in the players back for higher momentum. As the clock dribbled to five seconds left he hurled the ball with all his remaining strength towards the opposing goal. Everyone gasped breathlessly as it reached the limits of the triangle.

The goalkeeper swept of to the side with his arms outstretched…in the wrong direction, letting the ball blast into the sphere net triumphantly. The crowd went completely berserk in a cheer of elated joy, what a match the Aurochs had given them, and what a terrific win!

_Bobba: "Unbelievable, the Aurochs win the match, three to two!"_

The whole of Luca burst into rapturous applause, the Aurochs were back and fighting fit. Which couldn't be said for Wakka as he collapsed exhaustedly in a heap, his body floating wretchedly in the clear water.

Tidus and the gang had disembarked just in time, to see the Aurochs victory on the sphere screen and what a relief it was to see.

"We won!" the blitzer cheered in delight. He was completely thrilled that Wakka and the Aurochs had broken that vicious chain of loss, and without him, too.

"We did it!" Yuna joined in the festivity with a joyful laugh "We're in the finals!"

Lulu looked on darkly at the battered and bruised Wakka "Not the most…graceful win. If it was Chappu, he'd still be standing!"

"Hey!" Tidus cried turning to her in Wakka's defence "Aren't you being just a _little_ unfair?"

"Excuse me?" she hissed venomously, the rage began to boil hotly within her veins.

"I know I could never take Chappu's place. You're the one who told Wakka that, right, Lulu?" the blonde said, forgetting all need for caution. "And I don't think Wakka would ever try to take Chappu's pl--" his words stopped abruptly when he realised they were leading him merrily on his way to a slow and painful death.

Lulu's wrathful glare pounced, stabbing into him with the force of a thousand poisonous daggers Tidus really had turned pro at pissing her off…but this time his mouth had let him stray too far… Her face twisted with embittered rage as her fingers curled out from her palms. Crackling sparks of electricity emanated violently from her fingertips, illuminating her pale face in an electric blue "You don't want to finish that sentence."

The threat was enough to make Tidus spring away, recoiling defensively with his hands before him. That small slip of the tongue had almost earned him a death wish…

-----------------------------------------------

Wakka toppled down onto the locker room benches with a tiresome crash. The saturated Aurochs looked down over him in concern as he groaned in pain; the agonising ache still throbbed in his veins as the poison coursed through them.

"Sure you're all right, Cap'n?" Datto questioned anxiously, as he wiped the perspiration from his brow.

"The game starts in a few minutes." Letty added, introducing his own apprehension to the devastating spiral that was now escalating out of control within them. "You sure you're okay?"

Jassu sighed almost dropping to his knees in despair "We're playing the goers next, too."

Wakka reached over to his side and claimed the stray ball that lingered forsaken beside him. He flung it at the wall in a sudden fit of temper; the islanders had won, but he could not celebrate. The Aurochs dodged out of the way nervously as the ball ricocheted off the back wall and bounced to the floor.

Just as it rolled to meet the frame, the door swung open quickly. It was the person they were waiting for. Tidus flicked the ball up with his foot skilfully onto the palm of his hand

"Miss me?" he quizzed, beholding their relieved features as he tossed it back to Datto.

He made way in so others could enter. Namely Yuna, the one they'd been going crazy with worry about.

"Lady Yuna!" Keepa exclaimed, laying eyes on the summoner.

"Are you okay?" Letty cried in alarm.

"All this, because of me." Yuna murmured remorsefully, as her veiled eyes perceived the state of Wakka's torturing predicament. "I'm so sorry!" she cried with a bow.

"How can you let some Al Bhed kidnap you?" Wakka groaned, contorting his head so he could lay his tired eyes on her.

"Hey, let it go, all right?" Tidus intervened calmly in her defence; it wasn't her fault after all. It was his. He was the one that was meant to be watching her…well, him _and_ Kimahri. But he sensed the ronso wasn't going to take the brunt of the blame, even though _he_ was the guardian in this…

"Don't go near Al Bhed anymore, okay?" Wakka ranted "They're trouble."

Yuna smiled good-naturedly, she knew that Wakka wasn't mad. As a matter of fact in the ten years she'd known him she couldn't recall any time when Wakka had got mad at her. Lulu however, was more the opposite!

After bidding Tidus and the team, good fortune, Yuna and Kimahri ventured off to safer grounds. Somewhere quiet where the summoner could watch the game, and where Kimahri could watch _her_.

Tidus approached the islander as he lay there on the bench. Wakka strained to sit up with a groan of discomfort. "The game starts real soon. No time for warm ups." He said bowing his head under the burdensome weight of his fatigue. "Ready?"

"Lemme at 'em!" the blonde exclaimed cheerfully.

"All right." The redhead pushed himself onto his feet sluggishly. "I got something to tell you boys…"

The Aurochs stared at their captain in silent question.

"After this game…I'm retiring." He sighed "I promised myself this would be my last tournament. Win or lose, I'm quitting blitzball." A wry smirk passed over his face as he beheld his comrades and their sore grief. "But you know, since we're here we might as well win!"

The team cried a dignified "Yeah!" as Wakka's high spirit washed over their sorrow. But there was however, one minor problem. The boys glanced around at each other; it didn't take a rocket scientist to realise that they were one player too many.

"A-am I on the bench?" Botta murmured disheartened

Wakka shook his head firmly and paced over to the Zanarkand Abe. "I'm warming the bench. He's taking my place." The islander hands pressed down on Tidus' shoulders warmly. At that moment Tidus felt slightly overwhelmed with the amount of trust Wakka had for him; he was so honoured to receive responsibility of the Aurochs, the redhead's pride and joy.

"All right boys, let's win this one!" Wakka hollered, not giving the Aurochs chance to lament over his oncoming absence. "Let's make the Goers goners!"

The boys cheered as their three-minute call came through; they were due in the pool. After several bursts of vivacious cheer, and a quick pep talk from Wakka, the team departed to the pool door at the end of the corridor, leaving their captain behind to watch on the sphere screen.

"I saw you floating, there on the sphere." Lulu, who had been watching the Auroch's capers in the locker room quietly from the corner, made herself known.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to see that…" Wakka stated screwing his face up in a sheepish manner. He could only fight off the churning dizziness in his head for a short while before his body gave in to is powerful dominion.

Lulu caught him just in time as he toppled forward, verging on the unconscious. She steadied him as he quaked on the spot completely boneless. "You really gave it your all… didn't you…?" The mage whispered, holding her old friend firmly in her arms.

The pair of them watched the sphere screen in hope as the Aurochs and the Goers assembled near the sphere pool. Already Wakka could tell that Bickson, the redhead Goer junkie, was dying to pound the living daylights out of his team. The islander had every faith that Tidus would pull through for him…

_Bobba: "This is it folks!  
In just a few minutes the championship game!_

_But who could've imagined a championship game between these two teams!  
Our legendary Luca Goers, going against…the horrendously ill-fated Besaid Aurochs!_

_Jimma: "This looks like history in the making Bobba!"_

The audience went wild with rapture as the commentators waffled on about the 'fantastic' home team. The energy in the place was alive and completely buzzing with electricity. A sea of Goers flags billowed from the hands of the ecstatic spectators, all awaiting another victory for the undefeated Goers.

Yet not everyone was watching the game with thrilled jubilation. A solitary man advanced up the tall steps that led to the upper stands of the stadium. His thick wide boots, stained heavily from travel, scraped over the arid stone flooring with each striding step he took. A long broad sword swung by his side, its sharp blade edge sung as the fervent breeze passed by it. He observed the pool in silent apathy from behind the depths of his dark glasses. They perched half way down his nose, shielding the long grooved vertical scar on his face from the world.

The Aurochs and the Goers descended into the depths of the sphere pool, ready for action, coaxing an elated cheer from the indulging fans. Before taking his position in the cool water, Tidus was confronted by a Goer; Bickson no less.

In a surprising twist of character the Lucan offered his hand to the blonde. Accepting the gesture, Tidus was tricked into thinking that Bickson was decent after all. Just as the blonde's hand was millimetres away from his own, Bickson recoiled swiftly aiming a punch for the unsuspecting blitzer's shoulder. Tidus dodged the blow angrily, scolding himself for falling for such a petty trick. Bickson and his team laughed, snorting bubbles from their noses as Tidus fumed. The crowd went completely nuts with excitement as the flame haired Goer saluted mockingly to the Aurochs before taking his place in the pool.

Enraged, Tidus shot off to his place awaiting the blitzoff

With a brief ticking of the buzzer, the match began. The blitzball sped from its holding place from the centre of the pool; it wasn't Tidus' place to collect it, however. Letty and Graav, the Goers mid fielder, sped out and up to claim it. Stretching above the Auroch, Graav, the taller of the two, collected the ball with ease.

No sooner had he received it; he set his sights on the Aurochs' goal. Swiftly he sped through the driving water straight into the opposition's defending area. There was nothing Tidus could do, his role was to attack, not defend. He ignored the Goers defence girls, who were having a great deal of mischievous fun making eyes at him and swam off to aid his team.

By the time he reached them, Jassu was already confronting Graav. The Auroch swung round and delivered an astonishing venom tackle towards the ball-holder. Graav instantly reeled on the impact, releasing the ball in his pain. Jassu claimed it quickly and tossed it Botta at the other side.

Botta fumbled the ball nervously and tried his best to dart out of the way of the opposing strikes to claim his possession. Suddenly, Bickson appeared out of nowhere, thrashing down upon the Aurochs defender wildly in rampage of attacking blows. Botta couldn't stand the brute force of the attack for long and was quickly subdued into giving the ball up.

Bickson took it in his hand and raced voraciously like some kind of rabid dog to the Aurochs' goal, which contained a very anxious Keepa. Before anyone could hinder him, the flame haired Goer, smacked the ball with a tremendous kick and sent it hurling toward the goal-mouth.

The Aurochs gasped in disbelief when it ricocheted off the cross bar forcefully completely missing by miles. Tidus knew exactly what the Goer was doing, the 'advanced volley shot'. Once the ball had returned to Bickson, he could kick it again, but at triple the force: the blonde wasn't willing to let him get away with it.

Driving towards him at an alarming speed, Tidus obstructed the ball from returning and caught it skilfully in his gloved hands. It was time to finish off what he started in Zanarkand.

Using the momentum of the shot, the blonde catapulted himself from the sphere pool and into afternoon sky. The spectators gasped in silent awe as he flipped over, ready to shoot the ball down in his tremendous version of a sphere shot. The reaction in the sphere pool was much the same as outside, the players looked up like gaping fish in a tiny goldfish bowl.

In a fantastic display of effortless power, Tidus swung round and booted the ball with all his strength. It crashed down into the pool, soaring wildly for the Goers' goal. The opposing goalkeeper screamed in terror and darted out of the way as the missile blasted towards him ferociously. The ball crashed into the goal with a resounding boom, giving the Aurochs a triumphant head start and the Goers, a heart attack.

Tidus crashed back down into the water just in time to see the Goers scolding their goalkeeper. The Aurochs surrounded him triumphantly as the crowd went crazy with elation; this was turning out to be some tournament.

Half time came quicker than anticipated and despite their aggressive attempts, the Goers couldn't break through the Aurochs defences. Filled with excitement, the team celebrated, considering the prospect of actually winning. After taking instruction from Wakka, _'Get_ _the_ _ball_ _and_ _just_ _shoot_ _like_ _crazy!_'' the boys returned to the pool rejuvenated and ready to defend their honour.

Yet again, Graav was there to snatch the ball on the blitzoff. Datto flung himself towards the midfielder, clinging onto him like a limpet in a vain attempt to steal. Graav shrugged him off with ease and continued on his way, passing the ball back to Balgerda, one of the female defenders. She caught it gracefully, and commenced to tease Tidus with her batting lids from afar. The blonde ripped the ball from her grip and turned the tables quickly, speeding off toward the Goers goal.

The Luca team fell right into his trap, pursuing him instantly. Both girls caught up to him and barred his way along with Bickson, he had to get through all three of them at once.

Tidus smirked and tossed the ball up into the air, in a flash he punched it towards the unsuspecting Balgerda, knocking her for six. The ball bounced back and he whacked it again, this time for the other girl Doram. As the missile sped back to him, Tidus flipped over backwards and thrust it straight into Bickson's face, sending him flying in a tumbling collision course. The blonde drove fiercely with his legs and began spinning on the spot, faster and faster, creating a torrential whirlpool around him. So vicious it was the no one could even dare to approach him.

Tidus let swing the Jecht shot as his foot connected rapidly with the returning ball. It crashed directly into the opposing net with a terrific clang, leaving the whole of Luca stunned to almost silence. Coming to their senses the audience cheered joyously, they'd never witnessed anything like it in their lives. Tidus celebrated with the Aurochs briefly, before turning back to a dizzy Bickson. The blonde mimicked the salute back to him with a jeering grin, leaving the flame haired player with a dark face, enraged like thunder.

It wasn't long however, before the spectators seemed to grow restless amidst their cheer. The players in the pool ceased everything to hear the hullabaloo resounding outside. It almost sounded like they were chanting…"Wakka…"

The whole stadium erupted, standing up and screaming the name of the Aurochs' captain wildly. No one knew what to do, except Tidus. The blonde turned heel and swam out of the sphere pool, back to the locker rooms, leaving the commentators the question his unexplained exit.

There was a respectful silence as Tidus waved his island friend off, watching him depart for the pool; this was meant to be his victory…

_"To be honest, I did kinda feel left out, but it really was the Aurochs' and Wakka's show, after all."_

The stadium was pulsating in a fit of hysterics; no one knew what the hell was going on. That was until Wakka returned to the field. He received a standing ovation from the entire crowd, who were rapidly converging as Aurochs fans.

The game got underway once more, as Wakka took the Goers on a merry game of 'hunt the ball.' The Lucans couldn't claim it back in time to make a difference and by the end the Aurochs has thrashed them in an incredible 3-0 win.

Everyone was completely elated to see the Aurochs triumph, even the Goers fans. The people now knew no longer to doubt the might that was the Besaid Aurochs. Of course, the islanders owed it all to one person…

Tidus returned to the pool to reunite with his guardian comrade. Both teams had departed and Wakka was alone, floating face up with relief. He gave Tidus the thumbs up, his own manly way of saying thank you.

The two blitzers couldn't celebrate for long however, as a terrifying noise engulfed them nearly frightening them half to death. Screams of terror rang out loudly from the stands as a wild commotion ensued outside. Something was wrong, something was very wrong.

Tidus scanned the stadium through the watery mass around him. The people were fleeing the stands in their droves; charged with utmost terror. It was just like the massacre of Zanarkand all over again…

Fiends were everywhere, swarming the stadium in hungry packs. Dragon fiends armed with fire, wolf fiends, flying fiends: where on earth had they come from? The blitzer's heart sank; he didn't want to see another mass destruction again, not like Kilika.

Clutching the Brotherhood with vengeful wrath, he strove to depart from the watery abyss. But he and Wakka weren't alone either.

A swarming pack of Sahagins blasted towards them in a fit of voracious rage, the same fiend that pesterd Tidus in the watery ruins. The blitzers barely managed to dodge the perilous blows and snapping jaws, to escape with their skins intact.

They ran from he pool quickly as the sheer extent of the attack met their eyes. The Spirans fled for their lives in a fit of frenzied panic from the salivating jaws of the fiends that pursued them.

Yet there was one who was standing his ground amidst all the chaos, as the people fell about him in their hurry: the same solitary man with the dark glasses. His monstrous sword rang as he unsheathed its brutal mass. A Vouivre dragon fiend crawled out before him covered in thick brown leathery scales. It hissed aggressively, the molten sparks brewing from its mouth. The man didn't flinch in the slightest; he smirked more than anything at the fiend's empty threat. In an amazing display of pure skill, he hacked through the creature's neck in one foul swoop, completely decapitating it. The beast collapsed to the ground and disappeared in a cloud of swirling lights as the blitzer staggered to a startled halt before him.

"Auron!" Tidus cried, laying his stunned eyes on the man.

"Sir Auron!" Wakka followed, his cry almost overlapping the blonde's.

"So, you _do_ know him!" Tidus exclaimed, looking to the islander.

"Yeah!" Wakka nodded in assurance "Best guardian there ever was!"

-----------------------------------

Seymour observed the chaos from Mika's viewing box above with his molten silver eyes. He made the Yevon prayer suddenly, as a swarm of green lights surrounded him highlighting his pale complexion; he was summoning.

From out of nowhere, a thick chain of linked burnished metal shot down out of the sky. The floor in the stadium below transformed into a black crevasse as the links descended into its magical depths. The chain suddenly pulled taut as a heavy object attached to it from beneath the ground. Rising out of the depths of the abyss a gigantic creature emerged, pulled by the force of the chain, somewhat brutally.

It was a strange beast, restrained tightly within the serrated clasps of a half shell. It arms were chained in a cross formation harshly against its broad scaled chest, the only part of its body that had the ability of movement was its odd beehive-shaped head. It was Anima, the aeon of pain, of suffering. Its brutally suppressed appearance said it all.

Tears of blood ran from the creature's only visible eye as it veered its head back in pain. Searing bolts of white light shot from its gashed socket, aiming for the very fiends beneath its monstrous scale. The light ripped the fiends to shreds instantly as soon as they made contact with them. Spectators cowered under the hungry glare of attacking fiends only to see them pop into clouds of light as Anima granted them death. In a matter of seconds, all were destroyed, filling the stadium with a firework display of resplendent souls and leaving the Lucans to stare up at maester Seymour in wonder. They owed him their lives.

As the walking wounded departed thankfully from the stadium, Wakka did also. His intention was to find Yuna and the others. But before he could, he had to say a few goodbyes.

"You really leaving captain?" Datto asked quietly.

"Shouldn't you heal up first?" Jassu inqured, hoping Wakka would reconsider and stay just a while longer.

"Yuna needs me with her now." Wakka argued "I can't be lying around in some bed!"

"Yeah but-"

Wakka sighed indignantly" C'mon, look sharp, the blitz season just started! Don't make those faces, ya?"

The Aurochs stared in silence; it wasn't going to be the same without him around.

"Well, see ya, boys!" he departed for the stairs, leaving the Crystal cup in their hands. They watched him disappear off into the distance, quietly wondering what on earth they'd do without him….

-------------------------------

"Are you sure?" Yuna asked as the islander reached them on the upper bridge road.

"Never liked long goodbyes anyway." Wakka replied, dusting away his troubles. "Sorry to make you wait, Yuna. I had some promises to keep, ya? From now on, I'm your full-time guardian!"

"Then welcome back Sir Wakka!" the summoner cheered with a bow "It's good to have you with us!"

"Hey, it's good to be back, ya?" the islander said, patting her on the head softly. "So, any news on what happened?" he asked, addressing the others.

"No, not really." Lulu shrugged. "Maester Mika is safe and sound, thanks to maester Seymour. That's about it."

"Maester Seymour's aeon…" Yuna breathed, thinking back to her first sight of the beast "It was so powerful…"

----------------------------------------

"Hey you, don't just stand there!" Tidus cried angrily, grabbing hold of Auron's high collar. "All of this is your fault! Getting swallowed by Sin, ending up here in Spira, not being able to go back to Zanarkand! Everything! Everything! I'm telling you, it's all you're fault!"

The enraged blitzer naturally expected some sort of explanation. He just didn't expect the reaction he got.

Auron was smirking. Tidus face dropped suddenly, as the warrior commenced to chuckle quietly to himself.

With a groan of perturbed grief, he loosed his clutches on the warrior. "Who are you, anyway?" he interrogated seriously. "You knew my old man, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Auron replied, calming down to his usual serious nature.

"And you also knew…Yuna's father?" the blitzer continued, not wanting to believe the inevitable.

"That's correct."

Tidus screwed his face up in bitter refusal. "Hey man, there's no way! That's just impossible!" he cried. How on earth could Auron know both Yuna's father and his? How the hell could he be in Spira and get to his Zanarkand?

"There's nothing impossible about it." The warrior stated gravely. "Jecht, Braska and I: together, we defeated Sin ten years ago. After that, I went to Zanarkand, where I could watch over you…so that one day, I could bring you to Spira."

The blitzer walked away from him, flailing in frustration "Why did it have to be _me_?" he snorted acerbically, his brows knitting together.

"Jecht asked me to."

Tidus stopped dead in his tracks. "Is he _alive_?" he breathed with wide eyes.

Auron suddenly looked to him with extensive gaze of solemnity, more so than usual. "It depends what you mean by _alive_."

The blitzer stared at him, completely stiff with conjecture.

"He is…no longer human." Auron continued. "But then, I felt something of Jecht, there in that shell, couldn't you? You must've felt him when you came in contact with Sin."

The ultimate blow was almost enough to knock Tidus off his feet. He staggered backwards breathlessly. The whole world seemed to cave in around him as the shocking revelation took hold of all his emotions. His mouth became dry as he lost all sense of words. "It can't be…" he managed to muster as the cleaving dejection restrained all movement of his body.

"It is. …Sin-is-Jecht."

Tidus' restraint shattered into a thousand pieces hearing those words "That's ridiculous, no way! I don't believe you!" he yelled in tortured refusal.

"But it is the truth." The warrior returned with utmost resolution. "You'll see for yourself. Come with me." He motioned for them to leave.

"And if I say no?" Tidus inquired numbly, looking the other way.

"Every story must have an ending."

"I don't care about your stories!" the blitzer blazed in aggravation, throwing his arms in the air.

"I see. Sorry you feel that way. Fine then." The warrior sighed darkly, walking away. "Come or don't come, it's your decision."

Tidus let out a frustrated scream, clutching his ears tightly as Auron's words antagonised him "You tell me it's my decision! But I don't have a choice, do I?" he screamed irrationally "You're the only one that can tell me what's going on here anyways! I have to go with you! I _have_ to!" he exhaled in annoyance and leaned over onto his knees tiredly; this was too much emotional baggage for him to deal with.

"Irritating, I know…" Auron empathised coming up behind him "…or are you afraid?"

Tidus stiffened immediately, the familiar surging emotion came over him; Auron had read him like a book.

The warrior's hand laid briefly on the blitzer's shoulder from behind "It's all right." He said, showing an unusual comforting side to his character.

"Auron…" the blitzer murmured as the man's hand slipped away "Will I ever go home, back to Zanarkand?" the abysmal sorrow was now very evident in his voice.

"That's up to Jecht." The warrior claimed, wandering off "I'm going to offer my services to Yuna. Come."

Tidus' brows shot up to his hairline: Yuna, how could he forget about her role in all this? She was on a pilgrimage to…destroy Sin, to destroy his father… She knew Jecht better and more than he did himself, if she found out it would completely destroy her. But how could it be true? How on earth could Jecht become something like Sin, and why? Auron had never lied to him before, why would he start now?… Whether it was the truth or not, Tidus could sense there was still more than Auron wasn't sharing with him…

He followed the warrior glumly, the whole weight of the world rested upon his shoulders. The blitzer couldn't help feel partly to blame for this whole mess, and that's exactly what it was a '_mess'_.

The pair advanced up a tall flight of stairs at the side of the main square, Tidus was too lost in his own thoughts to notice the going on around him. At the top they reached another bridge road, the blitzer quaked in hesitation seeing Yuna and her guardians there. There was nothing he could do to stop the fervent remorse pumping through his veins.

-----------------------------------------

"Do you think he's gonna stay here?" Wakka asked as the conversation quickly veered around to the blitzball whiz kid.

"Sir Auron knows him apparently." Lulu confirmed "You were right, he _did_ meet someone he knew."

"Do you think he'll find a way back to Zanarkand?" Yuna inquired, sounding mildly concerned.

"In any case, I'll miss having him around." Wakka admitted, recalling the blitzer's usual cheery nature.

"He's still in town, isn't he?" the summoner asked placing a finger to her chin. "I think, I'll go see him-…Sir Auron?" she suddenly gasped in astonishment.

Advancing slowly towards her, was the same man she knew from ten years ago, he'd aged slightly and had shorted hair on top than she recalled; the glasses too were also an addition, along with the scar. All in all he was the same solemn man that fought valiantly for the good of her father's resolve. She held him in the highest of esteem.

"Yuna." He said as the blitzer lingered awkwardly behind him.

"Sir?" she seemed almost star-struck gazing up at his grave features.

"I wish to become your guardian, do you accept?"

The summoner choked silently in surprise. Sir Auron was as renowned as her father, to have him on her side, would be more than an honour.

"Wha? You serious?" Wakka breathed staring at him with as much reverence as Yuna.

"Do you refuse?" The warrior inquired.

"No, no!" Yuna cried shaking her head "We accept, right everyone?"

"Of course, n-no problem at all!" Wakka stammered, still completely shocked at the prospect of Sir Auron joining them.

"But…why?" Lulu questioned the warrior, unable to believe her ears.

"I promised Braska." He replied.

Yuna stared at him in blind amazement "You promised…my father?…Thank you Sir Auron you're welcome to join us!"

"And _he_ comes too." Auron reached behind and ragged the reluctant Tidus before them.

"Hi guys…er, howdy!" he quailed under their searching glances and not knowing what else to do, he bowed.

"This one I promised Jecht." Auron concluded.

"Is Sir Jecht alive?" Yuna asked suddenly in alarm at the mention of the blitzer's father.

Tidus stared at Auron in veiled fright, what on earth would he tell her?

"Can't say…haven't seen him in ten years." The warrior replied gravely.

Yuna blinked. "I…see…"

"You'll meet eventually." Auron returned, stopping her from wondering.

"Yes. I'm looking forward to it." She said gladly.

"So…" the warrior began turning to the others "What's our itinerary? Where we headed?"

"We go north along the Mi'ihen Highroad. Then onto Djose temple." Wakka replied brightly.

Auron nodded and the guardians wandered over to the highroad steps, ready to discuss strategies and further routes. From here onwards they would be travelling on the open road, which meant no more creature comforts.

"Hey, come with me!"

Tidus realised the summoner's voice was directed at him, as she wandered over to the rails over looking Luca and the distant sea. He roamed over to her position, keeping in mind the instructions Auron had given him on the way _'remember_ _you're_ _still_ _suffering_ _from_ _Sin's_ _toxin_, _don't_ _say_ _otherwise_.'

He ground to a halt, keeping some distance from her, the bitter constrain still wrenched at him from the inside, purging all hope from his mind.

"Hey watch!" Yuna gushed. The summoner inhaled deeply and stuffed her fingers in her mouth. With an effort she blew between them, sounding a soft weak whistle.

Tidus jumped slightly, he was impressed. In any other circumstances he would've been thrilled, but not today. "Hey, you got pretty good." He murmured quietly.

Hearing the unusual solemnity in his voice she turned back to him. The enigmatic glint was gone from his clouded blue eyes, the sparkle that shone always in the deep cerulean pools. And the life in his voice, it sounded almost drained. "You sound sad." She said softly, leaning over to behold his face properly.

"Yeah…maybe…" he mumbled, looking down to scrape his boots on the dusty floor.

She paused for a moment in contemplation "Wanna scream?" she quizzed with a delighted grin, recalling the hilarious outburst he was responsible for in Kilika.

He screwed his face up good-naturedly "I really don't think that's gonna help this time…"

Yuna gazed over the tranquil ocean, her dual eyes searching its calm waves "You know what?"

"Hm?"

"It's embarrassing to say this myself, but summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us." Her mouth turned up at the corners bashfully the more she spoke.

Tidus observed as she spoke to him of the matters so close to her heart. He almost forgot his sorrow as he basked in the soothing ton of her warming voice.

"I learned to practise smiling, when I'm feeling sad, you know?" she laughed demurely, before her face sobered once more in comprehension. "I know it's hard."

"Yeah, I understand…I think." The blitzer replied unsure.

"Right, now let's see what you can do!"

"Huh?" he looked at her in sudden confusion…she didn't seriously mean-

Her pink lips formed a wide beaming smile "C'mon!" she encouraged looking for a grin like hers.

Too embarrassed to decline, the blitzer clutched his cheeks forcing his face into the cheesiest grimace ever. He didn't last long however before he broke into a fit of giggles "This is weird!"

"Next try laughing out loud!" Yuna chuckled.

"_What_?" he exclaimed in surprise, this was getting more bizarre by the second.

"C'mon show me!" she pleaded with a bemused smirk.

The blitzer wriggled about on the spot nervously, egging himself on. He inhaled deeply, and to the amusement of the summoner, let out a loud string of blatantly false laughter.

Yuna giggled softly, at the return of his boisterous side. Hearing her laughing at him however only made him guffaw louder than ever, sounding like he was some kind of mental patient. The summoner turned back briefly, to see the others staring at the both of them completely aghast.

"Um…you probably shouldn't laugh anymore…" she whispered sheepishly.

But Tidus wasn't done, there was still too much anguish in him to stop his outcry. Yuna couldn't help but chuckle amusedly when he refused to stop, his laughs getting louder and louder. She had to do something.

Like him she inhaled deeply; he paused briefly to watch her in wonder. Together they shared an elated smile…before letting roar a flood of phony laughter in unison. The pair couldn't stand it much longer and immediately broke down into a fit of hysterics. This time the laughter was real

Tidus felt as though his side were going to spilt and bent over double, tears almost streaming down his cheeks.

"Too funny!" Yuna giggled, slowly getting over herself.

"It was your idea!" the blitzer retorted, unable to stop. He hadn't laughed that hard in a long time.

"Um, thank you."

He straightened himself out, and gazed at her in question.

A serene solemnity evoked in her innocent voice "I want my journey to be full of laughter."

Maybe it was him: but the sentence seemed to come out more gravely than she meant. In any case, Tidus would try his best to fulfil her bidding. "Okay." He smiled genuinely.

"If we should get separated, just whistle… " Yuna's eyes brightened with a glimmer of hope as he beheld her. "I'll come running, I promise!" she said.

Tidus nodded, he knew that it could work in reverse, too and for some strange reason…he was looking forward to it… "Well," he sighed cheerfully "Let's go!"

The pair of them turned to join the others.

"What're _you_ looking at?" the blitzer inquired perceiving the guardians' gaping jaws.

"We were just worried you guys might've gone crazy!" Wakka assured spinning his finger round at his temple.

"Sorry!" Yuna squeaked sheepishly. "Well then, we shall go to the temple in Djose…And guardians? Don't forget to smile!"

Tidus shook his head with a silent laugh. It felt strange, as all the despondency, all the intrinsic gloom had dissipated from him completely. As a matter of fact he was buzzing on a high. He didn't know at what point exactly his sorrow left him, but he did know one thing, it was all thanks to Yuna. She really _could_ cheer him up, against all odds…

To be continued…

_AN: Howdy peeps! Hope u like this huge pig of a chapter. To be honest, I think was the one that I enjoyed writing the most. As you can see, I left the laughing bit intact. At the end of the day, I couldn't come up with an alternative and despite the fact it makes me cringe; I'll have to admit that I love it!_

_I left out a few bits and pieces here and there, like the fight with the big Al Bhed machina (Oblitzerator…cool name or what?) I also got sick of writing Bobba's commentary, he says 'folks' at the end of every sentence: very annoying!  
Laters!_

_Vogue Star_

_All reviews appreciated!_


	10. The Mi'ihen Highroad

_Thank you to everyone that reviewed on the last chapter! It's great to know what you lot out there like about my writing, I hope this one is up to standard this week!  
Can't believe we're at chapter ten already!  
_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ffx /ffx-2 or the characters in them._

Chapter 10: The Mi'ihen Highroad.

With his spirit lightened by the alleviating words of Yuna, Tidus followed the others as they advanced up the tall flight of marble steps before them: leaving the city of Luca well and truly behind.

As the blitzer reached the top, the sound of tuneful birdsong enveloped his ears; sweet and gracious it was, like no sound he'd heard before. Pushing all the thoughts and recollections of Auron's untimely words into the deepest recesses of his mind, he breathed deeply, inhaling the fresh unclouded air as he let out a mitigated sigh.

Peering around curiously, he endeavoured to behold their new surroundings. He soon found that beneath them was a large semi-circle of ancient cobbles, formed in mosaic style. The feature was ornately designed, and coloured with illustrious pastel blues and yellows that flowed, intermingling eminently on the surface.

Stretching away from it, and reaching far off into the distance was a long winding road, comprised entirely of pale coloured dust. Small clouds of flaxen hue, whipped up from the powdery surface, each time the gentle breeze disturbed its tranquillity. Yet the road had something much more to offer, something that more than made up for its barren appearance.

At either side, the land exploded in a profuse mass of vivid green plant-life that glistened in flourishing splendour under the golden rays of the bright afternoon sun. Coloured flowers of all variety sprang out from in amongst the dense overflow, their translucent petals dancing in the serene passing of the wind. There was also an amazing abundance of palm-tree shaped shrubs that oozed a clear viscous sap from their leaves, sweet scented to the nose. They filled the air with their saccharine smell, attracting all kinds of buzzing insects to them.

Tidus probed the pleasant land closely, he could see that this place had once been great in its time, much like Besaid. Remnants of old buildings still remained here, protruding out of the greenery like aged tombs, forever reminding Spira of the arduous past. Despite the fact that these haunted shells had endured here through the passing of ten centuries; the place seemed to retain a peaceful tranquillity about it: kind of like Besaid again.

He found it hard to imagine that another near massacre had happened in Luca, just mere metres away, as the few people that flitted about here, were getting on with their daily business like nothing had happened. It was quickly dawning on him just how Spirans dealt with things; they simply went back to their everyday lives. Something he found hard to comprehend.

"This is the Mi'ihen Highroad!" Wakka proclaimed, as he stepped to Tidus' side. The blonde's questionable look was enough to prompt the statement from the redhead.

Tidus pondered a while, he'd heard the name 'Mi'ihen' before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where…

"This road was named after Lord Mi'ihen, his statue's over yonder." The redhead pointed over to where a large idol resided in an alcove at the side of the road.

From what he could make out, Tidus could see that the statue depicted a mighty man with long flowing, dark hair. He looked almost barbarian like with his sword thrust brutally into the back of a fallen fiend. It was a strange representation to say the least.

"Some say that he comes alive at night and walks about the highroad! Pretty creepy, huh?" Wakka concluded with a spooky waggle of his eyebrows. The redhead relished in the fact that he had the chance to gossip, while he thought Lulu wasn't paying attention.

The mage however, had him sussed and latched on to him immediately with an admonishing glint in her eyes.

"_Lord_ Mi'ihen," She said taking over firmly "founded a legion known as the Crusaders, eight centuries ago."

"Oh, you mean the _Crusaders_; like Luzzu and Gatta from Besaid?" Tidus quizzed, half expecting her to scold him for asking incorrectly.

The mage however glanced at him somewhat startled, she had no idea up until now that he'd even met the two Crusaders; they were both well known as they had grown up on the Besaid. "Yes." She replied eventually "In just a few short years of their founding, their ranks grew throughout Spira. The maesters of Yevon feared an uprising and accused them of rebellion. Lord Mi'ihen walked along this very road to go face their charges, and refute them. He eventually succeeded in winning the maesters' trust, and his legion became an arm of the Yevon clergy. It was then that they were given the name 'Crusaders', which they have kept ever since. But…" She faltered suddenly as another thought crossed her mind. "…recently the temples have yet again rejected the Crusaders' cause…on what grounds, I do not know…"

As she ceased her words, the company started the long trek down the twisting Highroad. Tidus followed loosely at the back of the group, so nothing about the place could evade his curious eyes. As he lingered back, he recalled the mage's warning to him, prior to leaving Luca, _' You're a real guardian now, so no mistakes, understood?'_ He pondered silently over what mistakes she meant…Well, where to begin…?

As he caught up to the others, he cast his sapphire eyes to Yuna, who was walking delicately as she always did, close in front. Lulu's words about guardians had really got him thinking now that he gazed at the young summoner. He wondered if he was a 'Sir' now that he was a real guardian. The blitzer ran the title through his head a couple of times, but no matter how hard he tried it just wouldn't stick with him. 'Sir Tidus' came across as rather nerdy…but despite this fact, he knew he wouldn't be able to resist feeling a teensy-weensy bit special if Yuna _did_ call him by it. Feeling inwardly smug, he commenced to stroll behind her at a leisurely pace, as she slipped in and out of engrossed conversation with Auron.

The summoner was thrilled and completely honoured to have a man of Sir Auron's calibre protecting her. He was one that risked his life defending her father, Lord Braska, who journeyed like she was doing, ten years earlier before he valiantly defeated Sin. Auron's was a great and noble deed, surpassing all magnanimity; one that she would never forget.

Yet, Tidus' view on Auron's presence was one that differed dramatically from Yuna's.

The warrior had left him feeling immensely perturbed and with a bad taste in his mouth; but not in a hateful way, it was more frustration than anything else. Frustration that Auron had hinted the absolutely unspeakable, concerning Sin and Jecht: frustration over the lack of detail. The warrior had answers; answers to all the questions burning in the young blitzer's mind, he could sense it. But the man wouldn't spill.

Suddenly a disturbance in the bushes caught everyone's attention. Tidus' thoughts lapsed, he knew immediately what it meant, but he didn't imagine them being here of all places: fiends.

A small armoured creature bumbled out of the shrubs looking more akin to a living shell than a fiend. It had a tiny face hidden under it gigantically swelled back, and long crustacean arms both heavily armoured with violet grey casing.

"Hah! That one looks slow!" Tidus laughed, unsheathing the Brotherhood optimistically.

"It's also tough, let me handle this." Auron interrupted solemnly, brandishing his lethal blade; its sheer size put the Brotherhood to shame.

"No way!" the blitzer disputed, not willing to let Auron steal the glory. "I can take it!"

The warrior watched as Tidus sprinted toward the heavily defended creature holding his shimmering blade aloft. The blitzer made no hesitation in swinging the Brotherhood down on the fiend's shell violently with as much brutal force as he could muster. His sword connected with an unmerciful clang, sending unexpected shockwaves forcefully up the blitzer's arm.

"What the…?" Tidus examined the fiend rapidly. The blow had merely glanced upon the surface, not damaging the creature in the slightest.

"Hmph." Auron stepped over darkly and with a single skilful slash he put Tidus' effort to shame, slicing the fiend completely in two before it could even pose a threat to the summoner.

"Told ya!" Wakka beamed, perceiving the young blitzer's face now that it had blackened like thunder "Sir Auron's the best!"

"Hmph!" the blonde murmured haughtily, slinging his sword over his back in a huff. "I could've done _that_!"

His whining was quickly thwarted as their presence had been made known, the fiends had been alerted and they weren't willing to let the party go without a fight.

A huge creature leapt out before them in ambush mode; its sable coloured eyes were ablaze with a delirious delight as its mouth quivered and frothed with uncontrollable hankering desire. It was covered entirely with thick ashen hair that ran in shaggy clumps down every contour of its rugged body. In its jaws were several rows of sharp pointed teeth, around which blazed a molten breath of scorching fire. Yet the most daunting features it possessed were the two curved horns that protruded in a warped fashion on its shoulders, they were serrated in jagged formation: terrifying to lay eyes upon. Auron stood his ground against the creature, as did Kimahri who leered darkly in reply to its voracious growls.

"Why don't we let our summoner show us what she's made of?" Wakka suggested sizing up the vicious creature with as much audacity as he could convoke.

Lulu agreed, "You can show us what you're training has taught you, and with you're new aeon, Yuna."

The summoner nodded, she was as willing to fight as all of them. Her guardians stepped back as faced the beast head on, not even a flicker of fear arose in her dazzling eyes; she began to spin her staff before her, gradually swinging faster and faster with each rotation. A swelling ball of fire suddenly emerged from the very tip of it with a hot crackling resonance before she swung the rod down, making the flames collapse on the dry ground to form a blistering mini inferno. To Tidus' amazement, she stooped suddenly, placing her open palm directly onto the scorching flames. As she did so, a burning glyph spread out on the floor underneath her feet; the ground trembled ominously as something stirred beneath.

In an instant the floor burst open around the glyph and the whole section of earth shot high into the air, carrying Yuna with it. As it reached the upper limits of the sky, the mighty piece of earth burst aggressively into a thousand pieces, revealing the aeon beneath it.

The aeon caught Yuna upon its wide shoulder with ease as she toppled down beside it. The creature was Ifrit, the aeon of fire: which wasn't surprising knowing as it came from Kilika temple. As it landed, placing the summoner safely back onto her feet, Tidus could see that the aeon was a tremendous beast, scaling in larger size than Valefor. Its stature was low and stooping as it crouched on all four of its powerful muscular feet, each were impressively adorned with the most colossal claws. The aeon's face was close in likeness to some kind of hellish demon with burning eyes of pure flame and a gruesome black snout that breathed scorching steam from each nostril. Upon its large-scale head were the greatest of gnarled horns, each twisted and razor sharp, gleaning in the late afternoon sun. Yet, the most astounding characteristic it possessed, was its mane; Ifrit was completely wreathed in living flame all about its head and upper body, a mystical yet daunting sight to behold. It was no wonder this aeon had gained the affectionate Kilikan nickname 'The Beast', it was the whole reason behind the Kilika blitz team name.

Tidus stared at the aeon in awe; he'd thought originally that all aeons would be the same in likeness…but apparently not.

Taking a silent command from Yuna, Ifrit bounded towards the bristling fiend with utmost ferocity. At close proximity, the aeon flipped over in a forward tumble and drove the extent of its monstrous claws into the opposition's back. The fiend roared, writhing in agony as the putrid blood sprayed in projectile streams from its punctured hide. Ifrit seemed to relish sadistically in the creature's pain and clenched its abominable fists, pushing them deeper into the soft flesh. The aeon's opponent howled louder in dire pain, and retaliated with a thrusting blow of its shoulder horns to Ifrit's under belly. Ifrit bellowed in deadly rage and a cloud of dust rose as the rivals engaged in a minor scuffle, both trying to inflict deadly strikes upon each other.

In a wild flurry, Ifrit leapt backwards, unleashing a burning sphere of fire from its jaws into its mighty palm. With a forceful surge of astonishing strength, the aeon flung the blazing ball towards the bleeding creature before it. The fiend was instantly engulfed in the invincible flames of the aeon. Screaming in complete torture, the fiend lingered momentarily before breaking down into a pile of charred ashes.

The aeon departed into nothingness even before the steam had stopped rising from the remains, leaving Tidus to gawk in wonderment. If every aeon grew more fearsome as the journey proceeded, then what would the next be like? He shuddered to think about it. Peering around, he saw that the chunk of missing ground had been completely restored, as if by magic. He pondered as to whether Ifrit's emergence had been an illusion; it was utterly impressive nonetheless.

Wakka and Lulu in the meantime, congratulated the summoner with utmost praise for her achievement with hopeful smiles, even Kimahri's glowering face seemed to soften in light of her work. Auron as always stayed the same, he was indeed just as Tidus remembered him: silent and cold at times. The blitzer was rue to recall the memories of the warrior showing up at his pad to whine and nag him like a mother hen. He didn't know where the strange man had come from at the time; he didn't even know where he was from now! But something in the warrior's sombre nature told the blitzer that Auron was not from _his_ Zanarkand…

The guardians and the summoner ceased their joviality and continued on their way, down the long winding road. The fiends still hindered their progress in vivacious bursts, however, appearing in all shapes and sizes.

As their foes kept them busy, Tidus slowly began to comprehend the roles that his companions played, something he hadn't noticed before. Taking Lulu for instance, she kept all magical fiends at bay with her black magic skills, whereas Auron seemed to fare adequately with the larger and hard-shelled monsters. Tidus himself coped well with agile foes and Wakka was best with swift aerial enemies. Yuna was one who was skilled in all areas, for a start she could heal the others using white magic and could even protect them from the elements with certain 'nul' spell that were at her disposal. The aeons were on her side too, waiting to answer her every beck and call. Kimahri on the other hand was a little trickier to analyse, he seemed to deal with the same type of fiend as Auron, but possessed an astounding brutality unmatched by any of the others. The ronso's defensiveness over Yuna was courageously strong, if any fiend ventured to think of even touching her; he would be there with spear ready.

There were also many items his fellow guardians carried; items that had magical healing properties; much like the one Kimahri used on Lulu in Luca. One of these medicines even revitalised fallen comrades, completely awakening them from total unconsciousness: the phoenix down (one, which was used on Wakka frequently!). Tidus wondered how long these potions would last, as his companions didn't seem to have that many; there'd probably be no shops where they were going, he figured.

Travelling on the open road wasn't something the blitzer was exactly used to… he hadn't journeyed anywhere before in his entire life. But it suddenly struck him, as he stared down the stretching bare path; there'd be no more comfy warm beds, no more sphere-screen tvs, no more tasty food…and no more blitzball. Tidus shrivelled back into himself and scuffed his boots on the dry dirt beneath them; it was only when he got this low that the same thought took over his mind: the same thoughts of Jecht.

Before the summoner party could proceed any further down the Highroad, three people approached them hastily on mounted steeds. As they closed in rapidly, Tidus could see that the people were riding giant yellow-feathered birds that had long scrawny legs, each of which had three wide taloned toes. All three of the birds were wearing some kind of silver burnished armour, even over their large rounded beaks.

"Lady summoner, I presume?" The head of the three figures halted before them. It was a proud woman, dressed in strange armour type garb with long scarlet hair that rested about her shoulders in a poker straight fashion.

"Yes, I am Yuna." The summoner replied wholesomely with a demure bow.

The woman's rejoinder came in the form of a firm salute to her chest respectfully "I am Lucil, captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights."

"And, I'm Elma!" Lucil's companion to her left proclaimed cheerfully. "We've been charged to guard the Highroad." She, unlike her comrade, had short black hair and was dressed in a mostly scarlet-coloured ensemble.

Strangely the third Chocobo Knight, a young man with brown basin cut hair, didn't speak, nor introduce himself. As a matter of fact it seemed as though he felt rather awkward up there on the tall bird's back.

"There's been report of a large fiend in this area with a taste for chocobos." Lucil informed gravely "Do take care summoner Yuna, if you are to rent any chocobos."

Tidus gazed up at the strange birds with a dubious frown, so they were the chocobos, weird name… not that it mattered… something else in the conversation had already stolen his attention.

"Thank you, we will be careful." Yuna replied gratefully.

"Good. We should be getting back to our rounds." Lucil concluded with a wry smile. "Farewell."

"Our prayers are with you!" Elma cried as the three of them departed swiftly, their chocobos carrying them off in a cloud of dust into the opposite direction.

"A large fiend…hmm" Tidus finally uttered his thoughts aloud, bringing his finger to his chin pensively. Suddenly his eyes lit up with an enthusiastic glean "Let's go get him!"

"Why?" Auron inquired solemnly, with a questioning glance.

Tidus searched desperately for an answer as he felt his fellow guardians eyes latch onto him sceptically "It's the right thing to do!" he blurted out.

"It's the right thing to do?" an air of humour tainted the warrior's sombre voice. He started to laugh quietly to himself behind his tall collar.

"What'd I say _now_?" the blitzer asked in surprise, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Jecht said that a lot, too." Auron laughed, reminiscing in the moment.

Tidus exhaled though gritted teeth, why did _he_ have to come into this? He'd heard enough about him from Auron already.

"…And every time he said it, it meant trouble for Braska and me." The warrior ceased his recollection with a wry smirk.

Tidus knew exactly what the warrior was hinting at; he was trying to say that the blitzer was like his old man. The blonde grunted in repulsion, he was nothing like Jecht in anyway, period.

Yuna giggled quietly to herself at the blitzer, she could see the frustration brewing in his cerulean eyes; the frustration that dissipated in the instant he looked back deeply into her dual eyes.

"My…lady summoner!"

Yuna suddenly turned in reply to the startled voice.

A middle-aged woman was standing staring at her in disbelief from the other side of the road. She was accompanied by a small girl with braided pigtails who was knelt picking scented flowers from the shrubbery down by her knees.

The child turned suddenly to lay eyes on the summoner; she rushed to meet her, still clasping the flowers in her hand.

"You're a _summoner_?" she asked looking up on her tiptoes, her small face awash with wonder.

"Yes." The summoner replied with a cheerful grin "My name is Yuna."

"I'm Calli."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Calli."

"Lady Yuna, are you going to bring us the Calm?" the little girl beseeched with an adoring glint in her deep brown eyes.

Yuna knelt down to her height with a wide smile "Yes, very soon!"

"Yay!" Calli burst into a fit of overjoyed delight, dancing around the summoner excitedly.

"We're looking forward to another Calm, my lady summoner." Calli's mother stated hopefully.

"I'll do my best." Yuna assured.

The woman nodded with a fitting smile "And good luck to your guardians, aswell."

Yuna's protectors accepted the fortune with their own silent gestures before the woman went on her way. Calli wasted no time in giving Yuna the flowers before she ran off in pursuit of her mother, waving energetically as she went.

Tidus watched them leave, he was troubled, yet again. It was a word he'd asked about before, but hadn't received an answer. This time he'd make sure he got one. "What's the calm?"

"The Calm is a time of peace." Lulu replied sedately, brushing the long thin braids from her shoulders. "It comes after a summoner defeats Sin and lasts until Sin reappears."

"Huh…?" the blitzer recoiled dramatically, scratching his head with crinkled bewilderment. What on earth was she saying?

"Sin dies and is reborn." Yuna explained, offering a helping hand.

"I get it!" Tidus gushed loudly, comprehending her words eventually. "I thought it was weird!" he admitted with a laugh in spite of himself as his blue eyes passed over to the others. "Yuna's dad defeated Sin ten years ago, right? But Sin's till here. Didn't make much sense till now!"

His fellow guardians stared at him dubiously; the blatant obviousness of the fact made him seem more than completely stupid to them.

"But wait…" the blitzer debated in sudden realisation, "if it just comes back…"

"Don't say it isn't worth it!" Yuna interrupted with a look of longing determination "Because it is."

_"**Even for a little while, people can sleep in their beds, without being afraid.  
That kind of time is worth anything.  
Don't say it isn't worth it.**"_

_"Your words that day, Yuna-- I remember them well."_

Tidus thought deeply about the feeling she poured into her words as she was ushered along by Lulu; the steely resolve, the tenacity that flowed in her voice every time she was confronted by doubt or even fear. Yet despite the questioning of the purpose of her pilgrimage, despite the doubt of her journey: she always ceased her words with the same glean of undulating assurance in her dual eyes. A sight that bent the wills of all those who challenged her.

She was on a pilgrimage to destroy Sin, the bane of Spira: the thing that was supposedly connected to…Jecht. Tidus had never encountered anyone who possessed the same striking ability as she. She could refute the heavy weight of her duty with a mere single gesture: a smile, the core of her strength, the thing that prevented the glimmering light of hope from extinguishing eternally. She was truly one in a million.

Before the group could venture any further, something appeared before their eyes in the distance. It was a large square carriage made entirely of wood. The contents were concealed from view by a thick green sheet that was spread over the top. Tidus could see that two chocobos were pulling it slowly over the bumpy path. Two men were directing them: none other than Luzzu and Gatta!

The two Crusaders gradually led the carriage to the far side of the road, and paced away to a small clearing at the other end hurriedly, maybe it was their dinner break…

As the summoner party reached them, their faces filled with pleasant surprise.

"Hey there! We saw the game, you guys were great!" Gatta enthused, springing from his seat on the soft turf energetically.

"Congratulations Wakka!" Luzzu proclaimed, taking the redhead's hand gladly. He knew how much Wakka had wanted to win, and for so long. The islander's late brother, Chappu, was also one who yearned for glory. He was sure that Chappu would've been proud.

Wakka accepted the praise with a bright smile, winning felt good!

"Hey, stop loafing around!" the festivity was soon disrupted by the sound of Elma's voice. She'd caught up to the Crusaders on her giant chocobo after detecting the slowing of their duties. So it wasn't a dinner break, after all…

Gatta stared at her in startled mortification, his bottom lip quivered slightly as his naïve mouth searched for the words to say. "Uh…the summoner Yuna…and her guardians…" he stammered.

"This operation requires our full attention." Lucil was the next to hone in on the situation; she gazed down from the high saddle of her steed with a reprimanding glint in her eyes. "We've no time to waste, understood?"

Luzzu made an immediate salute firmly to his chest "Yes ma'am, apologies ma'am!"

Lucil's face softened "Carry on." She and Elma departed back to their rounds leaving the others to it.

"See?" Luzzu reassured his fellow Crusader as the captain disappeared. "Keep your head down, say 'Sir' a lot and you'll do fine."

"Right…Sir." Gatta replied, catching on slowly.

Yuna giggled at him quietly. She knew both Luzzu and Gatta well, having lived with them on the same island for ten years. And when Gatta joined the ranks of the Crusaders recently, she wasn't in the least bit surprised that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of the unequivocal Luzzu.

"Hey, Yuna." Luzzu said gently as his attention was drawn to her "Even though Yevon rejected us…. We still believe in you. That won't ever change."

Yuna smiled brightly and bowed with gratitude, it meant a lot to her "Thank you, Sir Luzzu, Sir Gatta." She answered gratefully. Yet as her eyes passed to the latter, she could sense his anxiety, his apprehension, maybe he wasn't yet ready for the challenges that awaited him…. "But you know…" she said, looking to him "…it's not too late for you to go back to Besaid and--"

"We should be going, Sir." He interrupted not wanting to hear her concern, he strove to fight like Luzzu did, even though his experience was a minimum.

The red haired Crusader agreed with the departure, and the pair took their leave of the party quickly, only to realise their carriage had completely vanished into thin air. Both of them stood there a moment completely bewildered before they realised what'd happened. Tidus and Wakka shared a quick snicker of amusement as the Crusaders caught sight of the carriage as it disappeared around the hilly corner at the end of the road. They made chase briskly before it could go speeding out of control. Those birds must've been highly strung indeed!

The summoner group followed in the same direction, hoping the runaway carriage didn't come hurtling back towards them. As they got closer to the sweeping bend, Tidus could see a large sign nailed to the hillside; it was advertising some sort of agency nearby.

"We'll defeat Sin any way we can!" A harsh voice suddenly broke the tranquillity.

The blitzer glanced over to the direction of the disturbance. There was another Crusader standing not far from them, he was busy yelling at a cowering woman who couldn't stand up to his ferocity. She was wearing temple attire, chiefly coloured in green with a strange oval wrapping around the extent of her hair.

"But Yevon's teachings say…" she argued weakly, not daring to look the man in the eye.

"Enough!" he marched off briskly, not willing to listen to another word.

"I-I only meant to…" her head dipped down to the floor abysmally.

Tidus wasn't in the least bit surprised when Yuna approached her.

"Are you all right?" the summoner inquired, concerned.

"Lady summoner?" the woman gasped clapping eyes on her.

"Yes. I am Yuna." She introduced herself with a customary prayer.

The woman's face lit up with the disclosure "It its an honour my lady." She breathed "My name is Shelinda. I am a disciple of Yevon." Her voice was soft and gentle, not shielding the naïve side in her nature.

"What was that all about?" Wakka asked with firm interest "The Crusaders' operation?"

"You mean the one Lucil was talking about?" Tidus quizzed.

The islander nodded seriously.

"I heard they were to use forbidden machina!" Shelinda stated with great distress. "I had to stop them!"

"What?" Tidus exclaimed, slightly confused. "Why?" After hearing and seeing so much of the fallen machina cities of the past, the blitzer found it quite bizarre that it wasn't allowed.

"The use of machina is strictly forbidden by the Yevon priesthood." Lulu answered with enough vigour to discourage the blonde from inquiring again.

"That's bad, ya?" Wakka stated in light of the situation.

"Let them use whatever they want." Auron said gravely, turning away. "They still won't defeat Sin."

"But, it's not about defeating Sin!" Shelinda cried. "The teachings of Yevon must be upheld!"

Wakka folded his arms. "Yeah!" he acquiesced resolutely.

"But you don't understand! The Crusaders won't even listen to me!" Shelinda stated morosely, getting upset. "…And it's all because I'm a lowly acolyte…" she murmured.

"Don't say that." Yuna chided in a comforting manner. "Well, I haven't been a summoner for very long myself, you see… Still, I can't keep putting myself time every time I fall. People are depending on me, they're depending on both of us!"

Shelinda stared at Yuna with refreshed hope "Yes, yes, you're right! You're absolutely right!"

Never before had Tidus seen simple words have such a profound effect on a person. But then he cast his mind back to earlier, when he learned of Yuna's resolve, her plight. Her words had moved him in ways he couldn't describe, making him realise the full extent of her purpose, the same way in which they'd affected Shelinda.

"Thank you so much, Lady Yuna!" the disciple gushed "Now, I feel I have the courage to finish my training."

Leaving her with replenished faith in herself, the group ventured on around the corner hoping that their journey would be hindered no more. Their eyes met a wide clearing before them; to the left was a long stretching plateau that looked out over the calm ruin-riddled sea; and to the right was something that took the blitzer quite by surprise.

It was a small round building, set back from the road, painted in varying bright colours that would've seemed garish normally, but not here; the building blended in surprisingly well. A huge sign hung above the door boldly, it read 'Rin's Travel Agency."

"We rest here." Auron said gravely, drawing to a sturdy halt.

"But, this is an Al Bhed shop!" Wakka retorted obstinately, displaying his distaste for the green-eyed race again.

"Is that a problem?" the warrior inquired darkly.

"They don't believe in Yevon! And in Luca they… they kidnapped Yuna!" the islander hissed venomously.

"Where were her guardians?"

Wakka's mouth turned down at the corners at the indirect finger pointing; the blow was abysmally deep. Finding no other means to reply, he found himself whistling on the spot awkwardly.

"Sir Auron's just concerned about your health." Yuna said, hoping she could persuade him.

"I'm not tired one bit!" Wakka responded, as stubborn as a mule.

"Well, I am." Auron marched directly through the entrance, leaving the hard-headed islander with no choice than to follow…but the sneaky islander had a trick up his sleeve. Knowing as the weather was on the good side and the evening was drawing in, he decided to plant himself on the soft turf outside near to where the chocobos were kept. The warm sun shone down on him, as he folded his arms with a disgruntled pout.

Ignoring the islander's behaviour, Lulu proceeded into the agency with Yuna, Kimahri and Tidus. It was warm and welcoming inside, which Tidus was glad to see. Upon the golden yellow walls, hung all kinds weird and wonderful weapons; all glinting in the evening sun as it shone in through the stain glass windows. In the very centre at the back of the room was a large rounded counter which displayed a variety of wares, most of which consisted of strange shaped vials that contained a bizarre glimmering liquid.

But not only was this place a shop, it was an inn, too. Tidus was completely delighted at this pleasant surprise; the thought of sleeping in a proper bed wasn't too far, after all. Lulu walked over to the counter and booked three rooms with two sharing in each, her and Yuna, Auron and Kimahri and Tidus was stuck with Wakka. The blitzer concealed his merriment as the mage allotted who was sharing with who; Tidus knew Wakka well enough already to know that the islander would step foot in this place over his dead body.

In no time the blitzer was shown to his room, it was simple and sparse but served its function well with two white-sheeted beds and a single small table, that was adorned with a small oil lamp. He slung himself down heavily on the nearest mattress. To his complete and utter dismay he found that it was made entirely of straw, just like the itchy one in Kilika. He lay there for a few minutes trying to get comfortable even though he was far from tired. But no matter how hard he tried, the task proved impossible. With an irritated groan, he leapt back up his feet, and brushed himself off.

Swinging the door open, he strolled back down the corridor to the main room of the agency. Lulu was still there; she was busy glancing at objects on the counter, considering which to buy. It didn't take her long however, to detect his presence.

"As If I could sleep!" he exclaimed cheerfully in reply to her glowering scowl.

She ignored the comment and went back to buying their supplies, leaving him to do whatever he wanted.

He crept to the entrance quickly, hoping she wouldn't explode with rage any second. As he flung the doors open and stepped out into the clearing, a immediate flash passionate colour shot towards him, almost blinding him with its potency. He shielded his eyes instantly with his arms, as his vision adjusted to the new light.

A silent gasp of astonished awe escaped his lips as he viewed the spectacular sight before him. There, seeping into the lapping waves of the distant tranquil sea, was the setting sun in all its divine glory. The orb of day slowly oozed its fiery hue into the pale clouds surrounding, staining them a rosy pink as it blazed softly over the dazzling ripples of the glittering sea. It was like a molten ball of fire, slowly extinguishing on the horizon in a captivating array of scarlet hue.

"Whoa…check it out…!" he breathed eventually as his eyes succumbed to its eternal beauty.

_"That sunset was different from the one I saw in Kilika.  
It was quiet, almost-- gentle."_

He looked on with his eyes dazzled, to see a single silhouette sat near the edge of the precipice silently indulging in the dwindling orb: Yuna.

With his face softened by the glowing hue of the sun, he approached her slowly, "Whatcha up to?" he called cheerfully.

The blitzer couldn't help notice the summoner gasp slightly at the sound of his voice before she began fumbling around with her sleeves. Yet the curiosity over her behaviour fled from his mind as she turned to face him. Her pale skin glistened in a radiant roseate brilliance as the sunlight tinted her face. A wide smile of contentment passed over her red lips as her eyes met his: inviting his company.

Tidus slumped down onto the floor next to her, spreading his long legs out in front of him so he could lean over his knees.

"Pretty…" she whispered, directing her attention back to the dazzling orb before them.

"Sure is…" he agreed softly.

"I wish I could live in place like this." she said, her soft voice murmuring quietly "…Peaceful … living with a smile on my face everyday."

"You can once you beat Sin, right?" Tidus said brightly, looking to her sidelong, with a dashing smile.

Her head nodded in a weak compliance "But then a new Sin will be born anyway…."

"Well then, you can just beat it again." He retorted genially.

"I wish I could…" she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"Hey, you can! Trust me!" he exclaimed. "You are the best summoner out there!"

She responded to the complement with a demure smile, having no words to refute him further.

"Yuna," he voiced with a sudden interest "why does Sin always come back?"

Her serene feature crinkled as she searched for an answer. "Sin is our punishment for our vanity… and it will not go away until we've atoned."

"How do we do that?" he inquired, inching closer to her curiously. "What did we do that was so bad in the first place? Was it using lots of machina or something?" He'd more or less answered the question himself, but suddenly faltered at the realisation "Wait! Was that such a _bad_ thing, really?"

"It's funny…" she murmured putting a finger to her chin.

"Hmm?"

"Ever since I was young, I never questioned it. But now that you ask me if it is that bad or not… I don't know." Her dual eyes veiled clouded over as she confessed of her naiveté. "There are so many things I don't know…"

"Well then, we're the same!" Tidus hinted springing up to his feet energetically. "Such thinking is very unbecoming of a summoner!" he leant over her with a bow, as he spoke in a whispery breathless voice.

"Sound like Mika?" he asked with a cheeky grin in answer to her bemused smile.

She giggled quietly at the impression as the blitzer laughed out loud, proud of his mimicry.

"That's not very nice, you know!" she chided playfully with a cheerful grin, before she joined him in standing at the edge of the plateau, overlooking the sea.

"You know… during a game, you have to think of blitz and nothing else, you know?" he said suddenly, as a notion came to his mind.

"Okay." She nodded shyly.

Tidus pondered, wandering about awhile in thought as he tried to piece together the example he was putting forward. "You can't think, _'That's_ _a_ _cute_ _girl_ _on_ _the_ _fifth_ _seat_ _from_ _the_ _right'_. And you can't be thinking about where you're gonna go on that date; 'cause the minute you do, that's when you lose!"

Yuna addressed his statement with shy hesitancy, wondering where on earth he was taking the conversation.

"You see, uh, Yuna, what I mean is, you really shouldn't worry, y'know?" He explained "After we beat Sin, that's when you can worry about the future."

She appreciated the fact that he was trying his best to console her, and nodded with slight demurral "I guess…"

"But Yuna…" he blurted out, waving his arms about in a lively manner, trying to judge the sheer scale of Sin "How are you supposed to beat something _big_ like that?"

"The Final Summoning."

He ceased his display instantly perceiving her face frozen over with solemnity.

"It's the only way to defeat Sin. The only way…With it, we can call the Final Aeon. That's the goal of the pilgrimage." she whispered.

He nodded compliantly, sensing the importance in her words as she turned to face another direction.

"The Fayth of the Final Summoning lies waiting in the far north, to greet summoners that complete their pilgrimage…" Yuna bowed in a sudden reverence over the land "At the world's edge… in Zanarkand."

"In _Zanarkand_?" he spluttered with alarm.

The summoner faltered immediately with a hesitant shake of her head, she was rue to tell him that he was mistaken.

"She means the ruins of a city destroyed a thousand years ago." Auron's deep voice suddenly intervened as he advanced slowly towards them.

"You sure it's ruins?" Tidus asked looking back to the summoner seriously.

"That's what I've heard." She replied.

"You'll see for yourself, soon enough." The warrior informed the blonde. "Yuna, " he said walking off "come back inside."

The summoner and Tidus watched in breathless silence as Auron departed within the building.

"You will go with us…to Zanarkand?" She asked, turning back to the blonde suddenly.

The thoughts of his home spiralled out of control in the blitzer's head "Yeah…I'll go." He voiced eventually as quiet as the wind.

Yuna gasped, silently appeased by his words.

"I'll go to Zanarkand… to see it with my own eyes." He ventured to follow Auron's steps slowly, leaving the glowing radiance of the extinguishing sun behind.

Yet, Yuna lingered momentarily to take the last crimson rays of the dying orb into her crystalline eyes. With a final glimpse, she caught up to the blitzer, smiling brightly as she always did. He met her with his own acknowledging smirk and the two of them passed inside.

_"I knew it couldn't be my Zanarkand.  
But I had to make sure."_

Not long after entering the building the pair went their separate ways after a few final brief words. The cool night drew in not long after and Tidus found himself growing sleepier by the minute. He hit the hay (literally) and fell gradually into a long night of restless sleep.

---------------------------------------------

As morning came, Tidus was awoken by the sound of loud snoring. He rolled over with a knowing smirk to find Wakka curled up in the bed beside him. The islander woke slowly and sat up rubbing his ginger hair back into its normal spiked formation.

Tidus tittered to himself quietly, as he imagined the harassment Wakka must've got from Lulu for not coming in. The mage had achieved her goal in any case.

"Can't believe I crashed _this_ place!" the redhead groaned, making his bed. "Can't complain though, they were nice comfy beds!" he concluded with a stretch.

"Yeah…" Tidus enthused sarcastically, propping himself up with his elbow. It was only when Wakka left the room whistling that the blitzer realised he was being serious.

The blitzer sprang up with alarm as his heart sank down and hit the floor, if these beds were comfy… then what were uncomfortable ones like…? He didn't want to think about it.

Tidus left the room and sauntered down the corridor, yawning with each step he took. It didn't take long for him to reach the main shop area where the others were waiting patiently.

Suddenly a blood-curdling scream sounded outside, making the blitzer's eyes nearly pop out their sockets with shock. There was a loud ruckus by the door as a woman pleaded for help, shrieking something about the chocobos.

"That's our cue, let's go." Auron waited no longer and went out to face the disruption.

Tidus hung back raggedly as the others proceeded after the warrior. As he met the fresh outdoor air, the blitzer could see what all the fuss was about.

All the chocobos were rushing round in a heated panic of fear, something had worried them to the point of near madness; Tidus had a slight inkling to what it was already.

Kimahri, Wakka and Auron brandished their weapons ready for an attack… it wasn't long before they were faced with their adversary. A screech of eternal rage cried out above them from the roof of the building abruptly. The guardians' swift eyes caught sight of a monstrous creature lingering above, covered completely in hardened shining scales.

With a resounding crash it landed on the ground before them. Its body was small in size, supporting a gigantic head that mostly consisted of one huge great mouth. Enormous rows of jagged teeth lay within its gaping jaws, stray yellow feathers were caught in between them from its last meal: chocobo feathers. With a grunt of hungry delight the fiend brandished its terribly long arms, releasing a squirming chocobo from its clutches; new, larger meals were on the agenda.

In a fit of impassioned frenzy, it strongly clenched the oversized barbaric fists it possessed, and raced towards them savagely at a surprising speed. The company dodged out of the way clumsily, falling over like a bunch of skittles in their haste.

Auron picked himself up off his feet hastily and got prepared for another charge. The creature swung round rapidly, letting its long monkey-like arms rotate lethally around its body, whipping up a storm of yellow sand. It leered curling it forked tongue back with transcendent anger, before stomping back towards them with its limbs forming an outstretched barrier. Escape was impossible.

Yet, as the fiend reached him, the warrior held his sword aloft and in precise timing he drove the blade with utmost force into its fleshy wrist. The creature screeched to a halt, howling in pain. Before it could strike down upon the warrior with the other brutal arm, Auron released the blade and slashed down again into the seeping wound, completely disconnecting the gruesome hand.

The dark viscous blood gushed from the dismembered limb as the fiend glowered, bellowing loudly in agony. Again it tried to smash its remaining fist down upon the warrior, but found its entire arm immobile, trapped in a transparent block of biting ice; all Lulu's doing of course.

It was left to Kimahri, Tidus and Wakka to finish the fiend of in a flurry of strikes to its unprotected underbelly, while all the time dodging the bleeding limb. The feat was long and hard and after what seemed like hours of slashing and hacking, the creature eventually succumbed to their attacks and burst into a tremendous mass of kaleidoscopic lights.

Tidus breathed a heavy sigh of fatigued relief as everything drew to a close. He slumped down into a heap on the floor raggedly, staring up at the morning sky. The chocobos were saved.

Of course the owners were more than thrilled by the fact and offered free chocobo rides to all. The young blitzer jumped at the chance and was the first to the saddle.

However, he soon learned that his eagerness would be his downfall, as his bird turned out to be the most psychotic in the whole corral.

No sooner had Tidus taken hold of the reins, the chocobo leapt into the air with a squeak of joy and bolted for the other end of the Highroad, carrying the poor blitzer off with it. In a matter of seconds he'd already reached the road's last junction.

As soon as the bird stopped, Tidus slipped from the saddle cautiously. He peered down the road; the others weren't that far off behind him.

"Now you stay." He commanded, pointing a reprimanding finger at the chocobo's beak.

Maybe it was his imagination, but the bird seemed to blink ashamedly and roll its toes thought the dirt.

Tidus shrugged at the strange behaviour and looked around at the shallow grassy area about him, there sure were a lot of strange cages strewn about the place. He gazed on to behold the ancient stone archway that marked the end of the Highroad. Underneath it was another covered carriage, blocking the way onwards. The blitzer was just about to go and investigate when a loud demanding voice caught his attention, he recognised it immediately: Dona.

He perceived the ever-haughty summoner standing arms akimbo at the other side of the road. She was currently arguing vehemently with an armed guard. As ever Barthello, the muscle-head man was by her side. It would've been common sense to keep away from the two of them after what they did to him last time, but before he knew it, the blitzer's legs had already led him to them.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a summoner!" she fumed, squaring up to the armour-clad man.

"Sorry ma'am! No exceptions!" He retorted politely, keeping his hands firmly behind his back.

"You dare impede a summoner's pilgrimage?" she questioned pretentiously.

"Sorry ma'am! No exceptions!"

She sighed, deeply perturbed by the guard's stubbornness "Useless!"

By this time Barthello had already noticed the blitzer lingering behind them and alerted Dona with a tap on the shoulder.

"Oh, it's _you_." The summoner's eyes darkened as she beheld Tidus once more. "As you can see, not even summoners can pass." Her glowering scowl passed back to the guard momentarily with venomous fury. "But they'll call on us in the end. Just wait and see!" she smirked.

Tidus pondered over her words, what could she mean?

"In the meantime, I think I'll have a nap." She yawned; marching off like she was some kind of exhaled royalty. "O, Barthello?"

The blitzer chuckled to himself as the muscle-bound Barthello chased after her willingly like a baby lamb; he was more like a servant than a guardian.

It wasn't long before Yuna and the others showed up. After taking a major ribbing from Wakka over his choice of chocobo, Tidus led the others to investigate the carriage barring the way.

As they slipped down the side, the company finally beheld what exactly the cargo was. Inside the carriage lay a savage creature; it looked like a strange kind of giant insect possessing several writhing legs and a segmented back coloured a flame red. It shrieked angrily at them from between the bars of its cage as they passed it by.

"Sinspawn…?" Wakka hissed.

"Gatta and Luzzu reporting, Sir!" The summoner party saw the two Crusaders salute briskly to another guard up ahead.

"This it the last of them." Luzzu informed patting the side of the vehicle.

"Good to have you with us. Captain Lucil has already passed on through!" The guard replied earnestly.

Before the Crusaders could depart they spotted Tidus and the others in their midst.

"Show me how to play blitz sometime!" Gatta called energetically to the blitzer.

"Wait around." Luzzu added solemnly "We'll have Sin beaten in no time!"

The pair of them led their carriage away into the land beyond, leaving Tidus completely bewildered, he knew the Crusaders were planning to try to defeat Sin, but with…Sinspawn? How…?

Troubled by the same notion, Wakka stepped up to the same guard that addressed Luzzu and Gatta earlier "What's this big operation about anyways?" he asked, looking slightly confused.

"What? They didn't tell you?" The man replied "We're bringing sinspawn from all over Spira here. Sinspawn inevitably draw Sin, right? We're going to lure it into a trap!"

Wakka was just about to inquire sceptically about this 'trap', but Lulu halted him with a single scowl. The guard carried on, nonetheless.

"This mission, Operation Mi'ihen, is a Crusader-Al Bhed joint mission." He said. "We Crusaders lure Sin in and the Al Bhed strike it down. You see Al Bhed hate Sin as much as we do. They managed to salvage ancient machina. They say they're as powerful as the mighty aeons."

Wakka unlike the others wasn't relishing in the details, as a matter of fact his face turned sourer the more the Al Bhed were mentioned. Yuna on the other hand, listened to every word with hopeful wonder; any cause to defeating evil was good in her eyes. All the Crusaders could do was try, like they always did; maybe if they defeated Sin, it wouldn't come back like it had done with the High summoners of the past.

"Well, you know machina are forbidden by Yevon…" The guard continued, only to falter upon seeing Wakka's seething glare "Ah…on second thoughts, let's not go there. Better for you not to know. In any case, I cannot let you pass beyond this point, all civilians are to steer clear of the Mushroom Rock Road until the mission is over. I'm sorry for any inconvenience."

Yuna thanked him for the information and the company was faced with the only option of turning back. Yet as they paced back under the stone arch, another familiar individual came into the blitzer's view.

Walking slowly towards them, accompanied by two members of his entourage was none other than maester Seymour. Tidus felt the hairs bristle on the back of his neck as he perceived the tall man through shallow eyes. He couldn't help but exhale in slight vexation.

Yuna however, acted the complete opposite and stooped to her knees immediately, praying to the maester with utmost reverence. Even Lulu and Wakka bowed towards him.

Seymour mirrored their gestures with a wry smile. "So we meet again, Lady Yuna."

"Y-yes." She whimpered nervously under his shadow.

"You look troubled, is there anything I can do?" he inquired.

"Well…" the summoner looked back to the road ahead, her pilgrimage was number one priority after all and this barring of the way was only delaying her.

The maester understood her desire fully "I see…" he wandered past the group to the guard at the end of the arch, his long robes running along the floor as he did so.

"Maester Seymour Sir!" the man cried, rushing to him in an immediate flurry of obedience. "Let me show you through to the command centre."

"Hold, I have a request." Seymour said holding up his gnarled hand.

"Yes, your grace?"

"I need the summoner Yuna and her guardians let through to the command centre."

"But Maester Seymour!" the guard spluttered in alarm. "Maester Seymour, Sir!"

"There is no need to worry." Seymour reassured with a calming smirk, repulsing Tidus to the core. "I will take full responsibility."

The guard breathed heavily, eventually giving in "Fine, they may pass." He said moving aside.

Seymour turned back to Yuna from afar, a strange light shone in his grey eyes. "It is done." He said with a dignified bow.

The summoner gasped in wonder at the kindness he bestowed upon her "Thank you, your grace." She breathed, bowing as low as she possibly could.

Tidus looked on bitterly as the maester continued on his way accompanied by his two companions. Still, the summoner bowed deeply with her eyes completely shut.

It was only when Lulu alerted her, that she realised Seymour had long gone "Yuna. It's time to go."

"Oh…" the summoner gasped straightening out, she'd completely lost herself in the mighty display of respect.

Gradually, she pressed on in the same direction the maester had taken, closely followed by Lulu, Auron and Kimahri.

Tidus lingered behind, the encounter with Seymour hot on his mind. He clenched his fist in irate distaste "Just who does he think he is?" he spat in exasperation.

"He's a maester, ya?" Wakka hailed, giving him a playful nudge on the shoulder "Better get used to it!" the islander ran hastily to catch up with the others, not waiting for Tidus to rant any further.

"Hmph!" The blitzer followed along, his veins pumping with the heavy discord of contempt. He hoped for his own good that they didn't run into the _wonderful_ maester again.

To be continued…

_AN: There are no words to describe what a pain in the butt this chapter was for me! I don't know why, but it proved to be the most difficult to write yet. Maybe it's just me being paranoid and thinking it's rubbish. But putting my irritation aside I have a great question for you guys…_

_**'Who should die? Luzzu or Gatta?"**_

_It's a weird question, I know, but since I can't decide I thought I'd leave it up to you. To be honest, I think I'd want Gatta to die more than Luzzu, but the story is interesting either way._

_Laters!_

_Vogue Star_

_ps All reviews of death appreciated!_


	11. Operation Mi'ihen

_**Thank you as always to…everyone that reviewed me on the last chapter!**_

_I'm **so** sorry about the delay with this chappie! I did try to put it on the site in time, but my computer decided to be difficult with me! I don't know what on earth was wrong with it. Sometimes my work won't upload onto the site...weird or what? Anyway here it is, chappie 11._

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own ffx/ ffx-2 or the characters in them!_

Chapter 11: Operation Mi'ihen.

Desperately trying to rid himself of the vexation over Seymour, Tidus followed as the others proceeded through the remainder of the tall stone archway. When they passed out of the other side, the blitzer immediately felt a weighty sensation bear down upon his shoulders with galling severity. It was something that made him stop dead in his tracks, completely numbing him to the core. His eyes passed over the precipice on which they standing, and scanned the desolate bay in the far distance below.

What met him filled his heart with a strange despair. The sea, which once glimmered in a glittering cerulean splendour, was no more. Now, it lay flat to the horizon, painted a lifeless grey. No movement took it; neither did the wind make it stray to touch the insipid sands of the u-shaped shore. Dead it seemed, drained of all life and colour, its beauty had been vanquished much like the blue of the clouded sky. The heavens above were also enshrouded in a dense grey blanket of weighty despair. If the thick covering were to break, the sky would surely spill its sorrowful tears upon the lamenting sea that mourned beneath it.

Never before had Tidus felt such heavy oppression, such grave animosity. He wondered what on earth had happened here to completely infest this atmosphere with absolute dejection. From somewhere deep inside he sensed that there was only more to come…

Ripping his tying eyes from the dispirited shore, he turned back to examine his closer surroundings more clearly. He saw that the path he now stood upon was, unlike the Highroad, completely void of flaxen dust. It stretched out in barren desolation before him in a wide scabrous fashion, its entirety comprised completely of brazen stone.

The only plant-life that seemed to grow upon it willingly was the rancid mildewed moss that thrived squalidly in mottled green patches, oozing zealously from every dank nook and cranny. Its vile stench of putrid decay almost knocked the blitzer off his feet the first time it reached his nostrils. The sheer potency of the smell was abominably strong, causing his head to fly off to dizzying heights.

Tidus momentarily wondered if in fact the smell of this place was the reason for its name. Yet, he soon learned that he was wrong when he perceived the real root of 'The Mushroom Rock Road' towering out above him.

Raising his head, he beheld the tall cliff faces that earned the place its strange name, and indeed the colossal features _were_ strange. The cliff rock had somehow eroded into many disc-shaped chunks that lay on top of each other in haphazard formation. They indeed looked very akin to some kind of fungi; namely mushrooms. Each of these discs were coloured a damp mildewed brown, dripping stagnant water from their curved edges.

Yet, as this place lay in barren bleakness around him, it was not void of human life. Armed Crusaders flocked up and down the dwindling pathway, securing the area hurriedly. Tidus was quite taken aback by the sheer scale of the operation, but the Crusaders were trying to beat Sin after all…something they were deadly serious about, even if it meant defying Yevon. The blitzer got the feeling however, that the summoner party didn't belong and felt rather awkward standing there watching the Crusaders fulfil their duties before the operation was to start. Of course, all Yuna and her guardians wanted to do was pass through without any further hindrance of the pilgrimage; the operation was none of their business so to speak.

"All hail maester Seymour!"

Tidus observed with slight shock as a loud cry rang out down the path. His eyes narrowed as they locked onto the azure haired maester further up the road, he'd almost forgotten about _him_…

The Crusaders rapidly lined up in before the maester and saluted firmly in unison. It would seem that they hadn't lost their respect for the religion of Yevon, despite the fact they were violating one of the most predominant teachings.

Seymour stepped towards them intrepidly; Tidus could immediately sense something in his manner, something deeper in the sinister maester's eyes. The molten orbs of silver grey flickered in a shimmering psychotic light, sending shivers down the blitzer's spine.

"Brave Crusaders of Spira, protectors of all Spira." Seymour cried boldly, his voice possessing a dominant air "Believe in the path you have chosen, let faith be your strength! I, Seymour Guado, maester of Yevon, will bear witness to your deeds today."

"Sir!" The Crusaders addressed him proudly with another firm salute.

Wakka's face dropped drastically as he heard the maester's words unveil themselves. His mouth turned down at the corners as his brows furrowed somewhat angrily. "What's goin' on?" He quizzed turning back to the others. "Why's maester Seymour backing the Crusaders, eh?" His original thought was that the maester was going to _do_ something about the operation… not praise it!

"They're using the Al Bhed's machina!" The islander fumed, unable to contain his frustration "They're violating the teachings!"

"Even going against the teachings they're willing to risk it for the greater good." Yuna's dual eyes filled with a divine hope as she scanned the Crusaders, understanding their cause. "Wakka," she implored. "I think maester Seymour sees that, too."

Yet, her persuading words and soft tone weren't enough to sway the islander. Grimacing in pained confusion, Wakka turned to his only source of help. "Lulu?"

"I can only speculate…" The mage replied pensively letting her red eyes pass back to him.

Wakka smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand in agitation, he just couldn't figure out why Seymour a maester of all people, was doing this.

"Ask him yourself." Auron said, glancing down the path grimly.

The company looked up in surprise to see the maester slowly approaching with long graceful steps. Without a single word, he bypassed them all, seeming to make a b-line for the young summoner. But just as he reached her his advance halted suddenly and he turned to meet another whom was watching him.

"Ah, Sir Auron, it is an honour." He said with a twisted wry smile." I would be most interested in hearing what you've been doing these past ten years."

"I've got nothing to say about it." was Auron's venomous rejoinder. He strode away from the maester almost immediately with a surprising ignorance. Only Tidus held back to ponder over the warrior's sudden behaviour. Knowing Auron as well as he did, he got a funny feeling that the man didn't favour Seymour at all: which was odd, even for him…

"I…see." Seymour blinked quickly at the statement, before looking directly to Yuna "Sir Auron must be a great asset as a guardian." He established with a sharp twinkle in his eyes.

The summoner squirmed nervously under his penetrating gaze. "Your Grace!" She managed to breathe unsteadily.

"Please," Seymour urged with a slight gesture of his gnarled hand, "there is no need for formalities--"

"Excuse me… maester Seymour…?" Wakka blurted out uneasily, as he stepped out from behind the blue-haired man. The islander rubbed his head in a sudden prudence, wondering how he could phrase the question. "Uh… why is your Lordship… presently… present here, sir…?"

Lulu shook her head ashamedly at the redhead's diction.

"Please, speak as you normally would." The maester affirmed.

"Uh…" the islander straightened up cautiously, before letting his mouth solely take over. "Isn't this operation against the teachings of Yevon?" He beseeched with utmost urgency. "Aren't you going to stop them?"

"It's true… I should." Seymour agreed with a slow nod as the azure locks brushed over his silver veined complexion.

Wakka folded his arms compliantly with a firm noise of agreement.

"However," the maester began again, hindering the islander's hopes, "both the Crusaders and the Al Bhed truly wish for peace for Spira. This Operation Mi'ihen was born from that wish they share. Although it may be sacrilege to Yevon, their intentions are pure. And I, Seymour Guado-- the person, not the maester of Yevon… As a denizen of Spira, I wish them well in their endeavour."

"But using machina…" Wakka struggled in a final attempt to salvage some defiance. "That's bad isn't it?"

"Pretend you didn't see them."

The company instantly gasped in complete horror at Seymour's sudden breach of conduct.

"Beg your pardon," Wakka exclaimed, quite unable to believe his ears, "But that's not something a maester should say!"

"Then, pretend I didn't say it."

The islander's bottom lip quivered recklessly, searching for the words to say, "Y-You're kidding!" He cried, half-expecting Seymour to conform.

However, Wakka was direly mistaken. The maester, accompanied by his escorts, departed swiftly from their company leaving them only with a gracious bow. For Tidus, he'd said enough already; his ignorance of the teachings only confirmed the blitzer's doubts of him further. Yet, there was something more in the maester's words that struck a stronger chord within him.

_"From the first time I laid eyes on him I never did like Seymour…  
But you know, some of the things he said that day…  
They made a lot of sense to me."_

No matter how much he disliked Seymour, Tidus found himself conforming completely with the maester's defiance; if breaking the rules meant Sin could be well and truly defeated, then why not?

But Sin… every time the name entered his head Tidus was faced with the same premonition, the same deep binding fear… was Sin really his old man…? Auron's words to him in Luca echoed in his mind with an all too frequent relentlessness… _'Sin-is-Jecht.'…_

Sometimes he found himself droning the words over and over in his head, just to make sure he'd heard them right, just to make sure… Yet the more he though about it, the more absurd it seemed, how could a human become a monster like Sin was…? But then again his father was no angel… And faced with all this, Tidus had been in Spira long enough to know that nothing was entirely impossible… a fact which he feared more than anything…

Desperately trying to push the grim thoughts aside, he followed slowly as Yuna and the others pressed onwards towards the junction at the mid-section of the pathway, dodging the running Crusaders as they went. It was the party's intention to venture straight onwards and avoid the Operation before it could commence, but something happened then, hindering their venture once more.

The basin haired man that had been in captain Lucil's company on the Highroad, suddenly dashed towards them clumsily from the path which Seymour had taken.

"Excuse me, Lady Summoner Yuna?" He said screeching to a halt before her, awkwardly pulling up his overly loose armour.

"Yes?"

"The command centre…" He breathed, trying to regain his composure from the short run. "Maester Seymour requests your presence there, ma' am."

Yuna's face stiffened with immediate bewilderment. "Thank you." She replied numbly, fiddling with the ties on her belt. She looked back to Auron with question, the warrior nodded slowly with permission.

"Take that road to the command centre. It's not far." The man began again, pointing in the direction from whence he came. "Captain Lucil is already on guard duty there with Elma, so you won't have to worry about any fiends. We're still in the midst of preparations this way, sorry…" he backed away slowly and hurried off down the road leading straight ahead.

Taking the man's directions, the company took a left turn and proceeded down the curved bumping road before them, heavily shadowed by the tall walls of light impeding stone at either side. They'd only followed it a short way before it brought them to complete halt, sporting only an impeding dead end. Tidus frowned, was this some kind of joke…?

The others however didn't seem fazed by this hindrance at all. As he probed the far end of the path, the blitzer soon realised why.

Upon the ground, decorated with intricate design was a large round glyph pattern spread out in a vivid orange hue. The blitzer watched in hesitation as the others piled onto it with looks of mundane triviality. They motioned for him to follow, naturally wary, he stepped onto the glyph with caution; he'd learnt enough about them in the temples to know that they possessed strange powers.

As soon as both of his feet touched the feature solidly, it began to quake ever so slightly beneath them. A deep rumble ensued as the platform commenced to shake gushing trails of dust from its edges. Then, as if by magic, crystal clear water spouted out from beneath their feet, cascading down onto the already sodden ground. In a burst of strange energy, the glyph disconnected itself from the ground and raised them with ease, high into the air.

It stopped briskly on the next level of rock, waiting patiently for them to disembark. As soon as they did so, the platform shot back down to the bottom with a resounding bang, making Tidus almost jump out of his skin.

Regaining his composure, he looked back to see that they were now on an upper section of the road. Squinting bitterly, the party could vaguely see how the remainder of the uneven path twisted and turned before them like the body of a serpent, meeting other smaller trails in a perplexing labyrinthine manner. Great gaping caverns lay watchfully in the divides, even stretching under the path beneath their very feet. Fountains of white gushing mist spewed from their ominous mouths, waiting hungrily for a clumsy prey to appease their voracious appetite.

Still, it wasn't long before a yellow blob waiting in the distance spotted them. It approached suddenly, running fast on long thin legs.

"We've been expecting you." A clear voice rang out from its direction. As the form loomed closer, Tidus could faintly make out its chocobo shape.

"The presence of a maester and a summoner is great for the troops' morale--myself included." The familiar voice continued amidst the white misty barrier. Only could the party see the owners face clearly, when she'd got within a few metres of them "Thank you for being here, my Lady." The scarlet haired captain saluted.

Yuna replied with a courteous smile and a bow.

"I'm afraid that the mists are particularly bad today my Lady." Lucil announced. "So, you and your guardians must follow me closely in order to prevent any fiends from attacking. It's the fog you see, it attracts them…."

Following her orders, the company paced behind her steed closely as she led cautiously down the twisting trail before them. Tidus was genuinely surprised as the captain continued to chatter cheerfully all along the way, it was hard to believe that she was about to lead the grave strike against Sin, something he wasn't looking forward to seeing.

Upon reaching the far end, and after receiving a warm welcome from Elma, the party stepped onto the last glyph platform that would carry them up and safely out of the mist.

Tidus breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped foot upon the next level. The air was clear, but still a bitter chill resided in it making him shiver ever so slightly in his blitz gear. As he looked around the small precipice on which they were standing, his eyes clamped onto the huge machina housed in the centre. It was colourfully painted mostly in blues and greens and bore strange ancient runes, which he presumed to be Al Bhed. The whole contraption mostly comprised of a flat platform, surrounding a wide cylindrical pole. Down the sides of this pole hung many thick ropes and pulley systems; there was no doubt that the machina was in fact a huge elevator.

Yet as he stared at it, a loud disturbance rang out from the other side, taking full restraint of his attention. Letting his wandering feet carry him over, Tidus caught sight of two more familiar faces: Luzzu and Gatta. The latter appeared to be majorly ticked off about something, and the frustration was more than evident in his strained voice.

"Why only you, sir?" He cried in deep perturbation "I wanna fight, too!"

Luzzu addressed the young man with a grave stare. "Orders are orders." He said solemnly.

"I'm not a cadet anymore, sir!" Gatta exclaimed, growing angrier. "Let me go with you and I'll prove it to them!"

"Guarding the command centre is important too, you know." Luzzu placed a supportive hand on Gatta's shoulder, kindly acknowledging the Crusader's frustration.

"But I came all the way from _Besaid_ to fight Sin, sir!" Gatta professed, waving his arms about in a frenzied rage.

"I know…" Luzzu sighed, "but an order's an order. To your post Crusader." He dismissed the young man with a gentle movement of his arm.

"But, sir!" Gatta shrieked in a last frantic plea.

Luzzu made no reply.

The young Crusader clenched his fists exasperatedly in a fit of anger and despair. With a grunt of nettled outrage, he swung round and bounded past the summoner party heedlessly, before taking the lift to the topmost level. He didn't see it, but Luzzu bestowed him with a prayer of Yevon as he left.

"So, they let you thorough, huh?" the scarlet haired Crusader stated as he caught sight of Tidus, shortly followed by the others.

"Hmm." The blitzer responded quietly, folding his arms. "…Gatta deserves better… " He said with slight hesitance, before looking back to the others.

Wakka joined his team mate in taking the defensive stance "At least there's no chance he'll get hurt." He concluded, walking past Tidus gradually. "Why you guys fighting anyway? He inquired, turning his attention to Luzzu. "Aren't the _almighty_ Al Bhed machina enough?"

Tidus frowned dismally at Wakka's blatant sarcasm.

"They still need time to get them ready." Luzzu answered gravely, taking no offence. "Our job is to keep Sin at bay till they're done."

Wakka spun round quickly, and made a purposely-loud noise of frustration to halt his agitated words. This operation… all the operations that had taken place had ended in floods of casualties… floods of death. It had happened too many times already, claiming the lives of the innocent, the life of his brother. The Crusaders stood no chance alone against the might of Sin, what if they couldn't keep it under control…?

Realising his embittered charade was going nowhere; the islander turned back and folded his arms again once more as his bottom lip curled over like a sulking child. Tidus by this time, had long given up on helping matters, it was beyond his power…and comprehension…

Luzzu looked to the redhead suddenly, his eyes veiled with a slight despondency "Wakka…" The Crusader's voice was unusually deeper than normal, displaying a tone so precarious that it gained the islander's attention immediately. "I might not get another chance to say this. It's about your brother…"

Everyone's eyes locked onto him instantly, as the touchy subject resurfaced.

Before he could proceed, the Crusader's words were halted abruptly. "Luzzu, no!"

The whole party stared in shock at Lulu's sudden outburst. She stood riveted to the spot, a frantic fear glimmering in her red eyes.

Wakka gazed the Crusader suspiciously, his eyes narrowing with concern. "What…?"

Luzzu stared back at him gravely. "I'm the one who convinced him…to enlist."

The islander flinched numbly as the shock of the confession hit him painfully hard. He closed in on the Crusader; his jaw gaping as his dismayed eyes froze over stiffly. Tidus observed silently on tenterhooks, it was almost like waiting for a volcano to explode.

"I'm sorry." The Crusader said quietly.

That was the trigger. A flash of rage wiped flickered over the islander's eyes. Before the others could stop him, he let fly an astonishing punch, burying his right fist into Luzzu's jaw. The Crusader swung around on the spot and landed on his side roughly with a loud thud. But that wasn't enough, Wakka wanted yet more vengeance. He leant down over the wounded man aiming for another enraged strike.

"Wakka!" Tidus cried, diving towards him instantly with a frantic leap. The young blitzer wrapped his arms around the redhead's wide shoulders, clinging to him desperately as he struggled to rag him away from the fallen Crusader. But Wakka wasn't satisfied; he wriggled forcefully under Tidus' restraint, testing the blonde's waning strength to the limit. Straining with all his might, the young blitzer hung onto his friend till eventually the islander's breathing became more gradual. He released Wakka cautiously and the bulky redhead straightened up in a more civilised manner. But now that the adrenaline had been purged from his veins, there was only one emotion that could claim a strong hold on the islander: despair.

"When we used to play blitz together Chappu used to say… " The redhead looked down on Luzzu's motionless form as Tidus shook the pain from his throbbing hands. "He'd say that--when we won the cup, ya? --He'd propose to Lulu."

The mage turned away at the statement, her eyes locked firmly onto the ground. Tidus observed quietly enthralled as the real facts were made obvious to him; Lulu's relationship with Chappu really was deeper than he'd initially thought. No wonder there was tension every time the deceased's name was mentioned…

"And then one day, he goes off and becomes Crusader." Wakka continued, bereaved "Just like that."

With a groan, Luzzu strained to sit up, nursing his aching jaw. "Chappu also said to me… that being with your girl is good…" he stated gravely, staggering to his feet. "But keeping Sin far away from her… is better."

"Lu, you _knew_?" Wakka breathed, turning back to face the mage.

"Luzzu told me before we left." She answered quietly.

The Crusader chuckled quietly in recollection "_She_ hit me, too."

A sudden loud utterance from far below suddenly reached their ears, interrupting the conversation. "All Crusaders in the vanguard are to assemble on the beach immediately!" The voice of captain Lucil, galloped off into the distance as she began to rally to troops together.

"That's my cue." Luzzu concluded solemnly. Without another word he strode away from them slowly.

He'd only got a short way before Wakka called out to him. "Luzzu! Don't die out there!"

The Crusader stopped suddenly and looked back with a wry smile. "What? So you can hit me more?"

"Lots, lots more!" The redhead cried whimsically.

Luzzu smiled briefly before turning back again. But even before he could venture any further, Yuna let out a gasp of fractured distress. She fled towards him in a frantic burst of despair.

"Sir Luzzu, please!" She begged, holding her arms outstretched before him. "Please don't go!" Her face was completely enshrouded in grievous sorrow, much like her jewelled eyes that blazed with cleaving desperation; an emotion that Tidus had never seen her adopt before, it was almost painful to watch.

The Crusader met her glimmering stare of frenzied anguish with intense sobriety. His face darkened with serious tone, the joviality with Wakka fleeing from him instantly. "I have to, Yuna."

The summoner refused to move, even after hearing his barely whispered words.

"Let him go." Auron's voice suddenly ordered solemnly, as her guardians observed in silence. "The man has already chosen his path… as you did when you became a summoner."

Yuna faltered immediately as his words twisted her emotions. Without hesitation, she backed away from Luzzu slowly bowing her head with pained acceptance. She watched bitterly as the Crusader went on his way, descending down into the misty depths of the Mushroom Rock Road and onto the beach beyond.

Without saying another word, Auron slowly led the party onto the machina lift. Tidus followed slowly, he found it hard to prevent himself from gawking at Yuna's impassioned desperation. Did she know something he didn't know…? He also thought deeply on Auron's words to her. Their meaning completely eluded him.

_"…It would be a long time before I ever really understood the real reason why Yuna let Luzzu pass that day."_

As the elevator ground to a halt at the very top, Tidus' pensive thoughts were shattered into a thousand pieces as he perceived the actual magnitude of the colossal operation. There before him on the wide flat plateau, were hundreds upon hundreds of machina canons. They were gigantic in size, each bearing an enormous wide burnished barrel, truly a sight to behold. Several Al Bhed and Crusaders manned each one, as they waited patiently in silent tension under the dismal clouded sky.

Yet, Wakka being Wakka strode over to the nearest machina as bold as brass. "Curse these…!" He booted the metal cannon as hard as he could with his foot, which was only protected by his thin leather sandals.

Tidus winced in empathetic pain as the islander toppled over immediately on the contact of the brutal metal and his bare (now throbbing) foot. "He really hates them, huh…?" He said, looking towards Lulu with slight whimsicality, she'd been silent ever since the conversation with Luzzu.

"Chappu…" she breathed suddenly, "he left the sword Wakka gave him in Besaid, and he fought with… an Al Bhed machina weapon instead."

"That's got nothing to do with it!" Wakka interrupted, eavesdropping on their discussion. "I just hate these sacrilegious contraptions!" he declared bitterly, nursing his sore foot.

Yuna wandered over to him to see what she could do, as did Tidus who took it as an opportunity to look at the view below. Peering over into the distance from the topmost ridge, the blitzer could see why this place was chosen as means for a trap. The colossal disked walls of impenetrable stone towered over the entire bay, almost completely overshadowing it with their intimidating countenance. Within every single nook and crevasse, he could make out the faint glinting of cold steel. There weren't hundreds of machina like he'd initially thought, there were thousands; all tucked away in the eroded cliff sides.

Slowly, as the sheer magnitude of the operation dawned on him, his eyes strayed down to the sands of the beach. To his complete amazement it was lifeless no more. Hundreds upon hundreds of Crusaders and chocobo-mounted forces littered the pallid sands, scuttling like tiny ants below him. He'd never witnessed anything so huge.

Giant cages were also scattered about the place as the armed Crusaders gathered the separate sinspawn from them, placing the vicious beasts into one massive enclosure together. The crazed fiends fought savagely as they came into contact, rocking the entirety of the metal frame unsteadily.

But that was not all, away to the far left side was a gigantic metallic structure. It rose from the ground, towering to at least thirty feet high. Assembled on thick struts, the machine was armed with two sharp pointing shafts that protruded aggressively towards the grey ocean bay. This was _the_ machina, the one that the operation relied upon.

"Hmph!" Wakka scoffed, taking everything in with a dubious stare "It won't work anyway!" he cried pessimistically.

"Don't say that." Yuna breathed, shaking her head. "It might be a hopeless campaign, and it might mean defying Yevon… But the Crusaders _and_ the Al Bhed-- they're going to do their best to defeat Sin." She turned to him, her soft relentless face unyielding. "They want to rid Spira of Sin forever. And that's just what we want, too, isn't it?" Her eyes glittered earnestly in a persuasive sparkle. "Isn't it?"

"All right, all right!" Wakka exclaimed, giving in. "But I still think machina are bad news. They're forbidden for a reason!" He concluded strongly.

"Lady Summoner! There you are!" A lone Crusader came rushing towards them with sudden urgency. "You must proceed to the command centre quickly! Maester Kinoc is there, waiting for you. Please hurry!"

The summoner party rushed through the web of Al Bhed machina to the where the Crusader had signalled. Before them, tucked up in a giant alcove was the command centre. It was nothing much, being held in place with a wood frame and covered at the sides with coloured cloth.

As they approached they were met with another acquaintance as he lay in wait, guarding the entrance with a grim expression. "The operation will begin shortly." He said stiffly, in robotic tone. "Please make sure you're prepared."

"Hey, uh, Gatta… You all right?" Wakka probed to the glum Crusader sympathetically.

"'Course I'm not!" The young man exploded. "I came here to fight Sin! But they stick me here!"

"If you want to prove yourself…" Gatta's anger was instantly hindered by the words of another.

"Huh?" the Crusader blinked, looking up to the scarlet-clad warrior.

"First you must complete the tasks you are given." Auron concluded.

Gatta faltered, he fought desperately within himself to perceive what was right. "I-… I gotta show Luzzu what I can do!" he cried with utmost vehemence, ignoring the warrior's advice. Swiftly he rushed past them, leaving his post unmanned; there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Letting him go hesitantly, the company wandered into the open-air command centre, only to be greeted with pleasant surprise.

"Oh!" a man cried perceiving their presence. He was hefty and quite short in stature; there wasn't a single hair on his head, only a yellow band surrounded it matching the colour of his long robes.

"I'd heard from Seymour, but I didn't know if we'd actually meet." he said rising from his seat and pacing over to them excitedly. "Good to see you Auron! Ten years, is it?" he laughed. To Tidus' surprise the man threw his arms around the tall warrior's shoulders, squeezing him tightly.

Auron never flinched, nor did he venture to exchange the embrace. He lingered there coldly in the man's arms before he released him.

Lulu read Tidus' overactive curiosity of the strange man like a book "That's Wen Kinoc, one of the Four Maesters of Yevon." She whispered in clarification. "He leads the warrior monks and also commands the Crusaders."

"All troops ready to move at your command, Sir!" A tall man saluted, stepping in through the entrance suddenly.

"Good." Kinoc established, ceasing his joviality momentarily. "Dismissed."

"Sir!" the soldier marched off, as did Lulu, Kimahri and Wakka leaving Tidus and Yuna to loiter in the towering warrior's shadow.

"Tell me Auron…" Kinoc said, narrowing his eyes with curiosity. "Where have you been the last ten years?"

"We don't have time for this now, do we?" the warrior responded tiresomely.

A sly smirk passed over the maester's wide face. "This plan won't work, you know that. We'll just let them dream a little longer..." His smile turned into a slight laugh with the passing of his words.

"_What_?" Tidus exclaimed, butting in with alarm.

"Lord Kinoc…" Seymour called, interrupting them all too suddenly. The blitzer had failed to notice the other maester lingering behind them in the shadows.

"Oh, yes…" Kinoc answered, covering up his words. "Proceed."

The two maesters wandered off some way, leaving them behind as they talked between each other quietly.

"That Kinoc, a _maester_?" Auron muttered darkly, clenching his fist.

"I heard that, Auron." The man said turning around, he paced back to him gradually. "A lot has happened the last ten years. What were you doing, and where?" He came across as rather boorish in his phrasing of the question.

"Fulfilling a promise I made to a friend." The warrior replied. "I still am." With that he strayed away, tiring of the maester's company.

"Just tell me one thing:" Kinoc demanded, halting his steps. "Have you seen Zanarkand?"

"Hmph." Auron laughed in a brief darkness before continuing on his way.

Yuna found their confrontation rather awkward to witness and shuffled about on the spot. "I kinda… feel like we don't belong here." she glimpsed at the blitzer nervously.

Tidus agreed with a sympathetic nod.

"It is time. Maester Kinoc, please." At the bidding of lone Crusader, the maester stepped up onto a wide viewing platform overlooking the beach

Yuna looked on nervously, clasping her hands together in an anxious tightness. "Will Sin come?" she inquired, looking down onto the motionless bay.

"Sin always returns for its spawn." The Crusader affirmed, turning to her. "To make sure we're going to encourage them to call out to it."

"You won't have to…" Auron intervened, gazing down at the flowing grey sea with dark austerity. "It'll come…"

Tidus felt his heart race as Kinoc gave the signal for the operation to start. He seemed to lose his breath as the tension stifled him.

_"I remembered Auron telling me-- Sin is my old man, Sin is Jecht."_

The blitzer felt his thoughts spiral out of control, as the floods of undulating premonitions attacked from within. Being faced with Sin suddenly filled him with a stiffening dread… a fear that Auron would be proved right…

As he observed, folding his arms with solid trepidation, the mighty cage rose from the ground, pulled by a brutally thick linked chain. The sinspawn within jostled and fought forcing the enclosure to swing in a volatile manner as it halted, suspended in the air before their eyes. The fiends screamed in pain as a severe electrical charge was pumped up into the cage. Everyone glued their gaze onto the foreboding grey sea, watching in anticipation for Sin to emerge.

Yet as they did so, their attention was alerted as a catastrophic blast rang out beside them. The onlookers in the command centre stared aghast at the vacant cage, now swaying emptily before them. Before they could react, the sinspawn crashed down onto them, now melded into one monstrous disfigured fiend.

Its gigantic mutant form rose up, towering high above them, coloured a mottled greasy yellow. The long serpentine body curled over several clamping legs that writhed and twisted beneath it with long serrated black talons. Two great arms it possessed, stretching far from its body, each atrociously adorned with a strange clam shaped scoop. In between them, in the midst of the creature's abdomen, lay a wide gaping mouth aligned with three gnashing jaws, red raw and threatening. Another mouth snapped viciously from high up above on the monster's body, leading back up to its ruthless m-shaped horns. A heinous sight to behold.

With a rapid strike, it swept a thick arm along the ground, bringing up the dust and aiming straight for the summoner. Tidus reacted quickly and dashed for her, knocking her out of the way in the nick of time. The creature howled loudly in the face of failure as the two of them lay in a heap on the sodden ground. It gulped suddenly in a strange fashion from its scaly topmost head. With a heavy inhalation, it leered and spat a shower of poison-filled mucus towards the others.

The glutinous liquid sprayed the ground just missing them, leaving acid burns and deep steaming craters in the impermeable rock. Kimahri with his glinting spear before him, rushed across the smoking ground with as much force as he could muster towards the gaping abdomen mouth that taunted him so with its bristling jaws. Before the weapon could even reach the creature swept its gigantic arms across grabbing hold of the weapon, restraining any further action from the ronso. Kimahri roared through gritted teeth, desperately trying to claim back the shaft of the spear, but it was no use the sinspawn had complete control.

"Take the arms!" Auron cried realising her could take advantage of the creature's predicament. He sprinted towards Kimahri, clutching his steely blade in all its might. With a brutal swing, he hacked down onto the shell-adorned limb. The heavy blow merely scratched the surface; even Auron's weapon could pierce the impervious scales. Coming to his senses, Tidus helped the summoner back up to her feet. She dusted herself off and darted out of the way as he ran over to aid Auron in the mighty feat of dismembering the mutant beast. As the three of them struggled beneath the shadow of its warped upper body, the creature leered down upon them psychotically.

With another inward sigh, the top head began to pulsate again, quavering over them, seeking to hinder their endless hacking. Another cascading of mucus was on the cards, but the creature didn't expect to be impeded so soon…

With a surge of violent fury, Wakka launched his blitzball for the daunting head. The sinspawn reeled as the missile ricocheted off it excruciatingly, forcing it to gulp the venom back down the wrong way. The poisonous attack was prevented for now…

But despite this, it still hadn't released the ronso's spear, on the end of which Kimahri was still pushing, trying to drive the weapon into the fleshy stomach mouth. Tidus and Auron hadn't been successful in ridding the beast of its arms either; it was starting to look like a hopeless campaign… that was until Lulu saved the day with her thunder spell.

The sky above turned a deep black as the heavens opened. Lulu had focused enough to call upon the most potent form of her powers. In a mighty flash of electric blue, a terrifyingly huge bolt of live lightning shot straight down from the clouded sky. It passed down through the top of the creature right to the ground below it, sending rampant waves of shocking sparks completely through its thick-scaled hide.

The sinspawn flinched immediately, flinging its arms away from itself. Of course this released Kimahri's weapon, but also knocked Auron and Tidus clean off their feet. The two floored guardians scrambled back up as the lower limbs searched for their grounded forms frantically. Waiting just for the right moment, when it was distracted fully by his companions, Kimahri thrust the entirely of his spear tip into the open mouth. The creature recoiled instantly, writhing in pain. But the ronso wasn't done yet. He pulled sideways on the weapon, and with little effort he ripped a wide gash through the whole middle.

Blood as black as scorching tar gushed from the open wound, burning into the rocky ground with a melting hiss. Screaming in agony, the sinspawn toppled over forwards into a dying heap of twisted limbs. But not all was completely lifeless. With a resounding screech, the scaly scarlet head detached itself from the tangled corpse. Running frantically on several tiny legs, it scuttled straight for Tidus, snapping and biting for his toes. The blitzer skipped away with a grimace of disgust. Out-manoeuvring it with his larger steps, he very quickly got the opportunity to slash down upon its small body. The shell completely shattered on the blow, collapsing into tiny pieces.

Tidus kicked the steaming remains aside, and peered around to check that everyone was all right. It was only when he did so that the ground beneath their feet began quake violently almost knocking them off their feet. They ran hurriedly to the edge of the precipice and stared watchfully down onto the bay.

The mists of the Mushroom Rock Road had already spread like wild fire, gushing onto the lower parts of the beach and surrounding the sea in an eerie blanket of white smoke. As they peered down, a sudden chill took hold of the air. The blitzer shivered, catching his steaming breath. The calm waters of the sea throbbed once more, sending fierce tremors up through the towering walls of rock. Tidus now knew for certain, Sin had come.

A gigantic steaming shape emerged breaking the surface of the sea, dripping with foul water. Completely filling the bay with its monstrous form, Sin stared down onto the beach through its roving erratic eyes; it had come to claim back its belongings...

"LET'S GO!" the booming voice of the captain cried out from the beach, as the chocobo-mounted forces reared up in defiance.

The Crusaders roared in violent compliance, their heroism encapsulated in the ringing of a thousand blades. Sin waited in an eager patience, waited before it could play with its prey. One word was all it took to bring about mass destruction…

"CHARGE!"

The swarms of chocobos and foot soldiers raced to the water's edge with wrathful antipathy. Instantly the grey-scaled underbelly of Sin began to disintegrate, depositing thousands of life forms into the already enraged sea. The sinspawn hatched rapidly, unfurling their pronged claws. Like a writhing mass of ashen hate, they thrashed wildly towards the shore, flicking their tails with rampant severity through the icy sea.

They met the Crusaders with a resounding crash of metal against flesh, and were thereon bombarded with a barrage of slashing swords. But their advances were strong, keeping them almost one step ahead of the courageous warriors with their biting jaws and slashing talons. Many Crusaders were brought down immediately by their savage attack, being completely disembowelled in a single frenzied swipe.

There was nothing Yuna and her guardians could do but watch in growing horror as the Crusaders were overcome with the unrelenting fiends. But the battle was far from over yet.

Deafening blasts rang out suddenly, echoing all around. Sin swelled suddenly in reply, a translucent orb of pulsating energy surrounded its entire mass in a flickering orbital hue. Flashing bolts of surging light powered their way to the colossal creature, bombarding it from every angle in an unstoppable shower on canon fire.

The force field surrounding Sin absorbed the fired energy greedily, making their futile attempt look like child's play. But playtime was over.

In a drastic surge of monstrous power, Sin throbbed violently making the field about it flash aggressively in blinding white light. Near to the creature's bulbous head, the surrounding sphere distorted, pumping outwards shaping a long shaft of light. Then suddenly, in an atrocious eruption of electrical resonance, Sin blasted the searing energy straight to the shore in a triumphant screaming outburst of sadistic glory.

The onslaught met the shore with a cataclysmic explosion, throwing the summoner and her guardians completely off their feet with its ferocity.

Then silence.

In the foreboding stillness, Yuna raised her reeling head. Through dizzying vision, she probed the blurred remains of the command centre. The smell of burning sulphur infiltrated her nostrils as she staggered to her feet. Steadying herself, she stumbled over to the edge, and looked down onto the beach.

Stifling her cry, she beheld the black plumes of smoke rising from the scarlet sands of the beach. Everything touched by the blast had been completely disintegrated, melting into piles of ashen debris. The few lucky ones had been blown back by the explosion, and crushed against the cliff face. But as for the rest…their bodies would never be found…

As she stared, riveted by the motionless shore where only Sin remained, a terrifying thought struck her. "The others!" Her eyes darted frantically about her in a frenzied search for her guardians. They were no where to be seen.

But her hopes were yet to be extinguished. "Everyone stand back!" she shouted desperately over the edge, cupping her blackened face. "I'll summon."

"You won't hurt it!" A firm voice halted her actions immediately.

The summoner swung around surprised to see Seymour advancing to her, seeming to appear from nowhere. "Your powers are still…too weak." He said, softening his tone.

"But I…must do something!" Yuna cried, turning back with relentless determination. Slowly, she began to spin her staff before her.

"You can't!" the maester rebuked with utmost force, of the type she'd never heard him speak before.

The summoner exhaled in despair, knowing that she could do nothing. Her staff fell down by her side obediently as Seymour drew to a halt beside her. They watched the endless form of Sin stare down at the wreckage on the beach innocently. The operation however wasn't over yet. There was still one thing the creature had to deal with: _the_ machina. Somehow the aggressive explosion had barely missed it, as it lay there filled with Al Bhed, who were busy preparing for the last attack.

Just as Sin turned for them, they aimed the mighty projecting spikes for the mass of its head. Yuna observed in fraught anticipation as the machina tips blasted a final lethal electrical charge towards the bulbous creature. Immediately the attack was halted by Sin's remaining energy field and pushed back. The two forces fought with overbearing strain, pushing back on each other ferociously. But unlike the machina fire, Sin's protective field was flexible.

Using all the strength they could muster, the Al Bhed hit the creature with an almighty blast. Yuna cried out in horror as Sin's field simply bent around with the pressure from the blow, smashing into the machina with an ear-spilling boom. The machine spilt in half, collapsing into itself in a horrific explosion of orange light, killing all those inside. The operation was over; it had failed miserably. The summoner stared in frozen determination as the fear ebbed away from her: she had vowed to defeat this creature, this monstrosity, and looking back over the destruction caused, only made her resolve stronger.

----------------------------------------

Tidus groaned loudly as the pervading agony shot through his limbs. Slowly, as the consciousness returned to him, he reached out from where he was lying and closed his hands over the wet surface. The damp sand scrunched together softly in his gloved palms.

Bringing his remaining strength together, he pushed himself up onto his knees. The blitzer didn't need to look, he could already smell it: the vile stench of death hung repulsively in the air. He heaved him self up to his feet, staggering slightly, shaking his head to rid himself of the perpetual ringing in his ears. His thankfulness for being alive after the mighty fall was quickly subdued in his mind, as he perceived the massacre.

Endless weapons littered the lifeless bay, ownerless and alone; some half-melted in the searing heat of the attack. Tidus walked slowly among them dismayed; frozen like a zombie as he stared into the eyes of the last surviving corpses. The heroic Crusaders were no more.

Yet as he gazed to and fro, oblivious to the distended wounds on his face, a fresh air of hope filled him with life as he beheld a familiar friend slumped against the rock face with fatigue.

"Gatta!" Tidus heard himself cry out suddenly. Forgetting his pain, he raced over to the young Crusader.

No response came.

"Gatta, c'mon wake up." Drawing to a halt, the blitzer ventured to touch the Crusader's shoulder. As he did so, Gatta flopped over onto his side heavily, his lifeless eyes staring up at the dark sky.

Overcome by grief, Tidus sprang back from the body, trembling with horror. He stared, unblinking with fractured dismay. Bitterly, he fought to hold back the painful tears. There was only one thing that could deflect his sorrow now, and it lingered right behind him.

A deep-throated moan resounded from over his shoulder. Tidus' eyes narrowed, the sudden scorching anger pumped through his veins. He swung round, twisted with rage to meet the deadly murderer. Sin stared at him momentarily, its roving eyes darting all over his body. The field of energy orbiting its body vanished and with a fragile wail, it turned back, calmly descending back down into the ice-cold sea.

Tidus' face twisted with embittered despair, "Don't you run away from me!" he demanded fervently, racing after the creature. He sprinted as if his life depended on it through the scarlet waves, and plunged down into the ocean, pursuing Sin with all the strength he had left.

_"I have no idea what I was thinking when I ran after Sin that day.  
But before I knew what I was doing, there I was chasing him down like a thief at market._

_Maybe I was angry, maybe I wanted to go home…  
I kept thinking about Zanarkand…and my old man."_

Tidus had only got so far, before his aching limbs forgot their purpose. All around him, everything turned instantly dark. Before he could react, a searing white light surrounded him. As it calmed, he found himself floating in a strange blue atmosphere surrounded by strange leafless trees. He watched in alarm as a small figure approached him, appearing from out of nowhere. As the person got closer, Tidus recognised him as the small boy… the one with the purple hood…

The young child stopped before him abruptly, and with a shake of his head, the place changed drastically. Tidus watched in stunned silence as his home appeared to him through hazed vision. The image of his Zanarkand distorted before him, and flew down to his house, where a young boy was stood staring out to the city…himself.

_"What?" The voice of his father echoed behind him._

_"They say you don't practise anymore, that you're gonna retire." Young Tidus said, not taking his eyes away from the metropolis._

_"Let them talk." Jecht scoffed. "I'm still the best."_

_"They say you're no good 'cause you drink all the time."_

_"I can quit drinkin' whenever I want!" his father jeered._

_"Then do it now." Tidus cried._

_"What did you say?" Jecht screamed wrathfully._

_"Y-you just said you can!" the boy whimpered._

_"Heh. Tomorrow, maybe…"_

_"Why not today?" Tidus pleaded, still not daring to look his father in the eye._

_"Why do today what you can leave for tomorrow?" Jecht proclaimed in a deriding tone._

_The young boy sniffled as the tears welled up in his eyes, the familiar tears that soaked his small cheeks in their lamenting rain._

_Jecht spat in a scornful manner "There he goes again… crying!"_

------------------------------------------------------

Tidus awoke suddenly, gazing up to the cloud-filled sky above him. Letting the slow tide carry him back to shore, he finally reached the wet sands of the beach. Using his last ounce of strength, he crawled a short way before clambering into a seated position where he stayed motionless, the cold water dripping from his hair.

The minutes ticked into hours as he sat there, trying to figure out the watery dream, his mind churning in a sea of thoughts. But how could it be a dream…? The last part was…a memory, something that really happened… His thoughts suddenly flickered back to the limitless ocean…

_"I thought I sensed my old man there.  
Somewhere…_

_Or maybe it was just Sin's toxin playing tricks on my mind."_

Gradually, as time moved on, the bodies of the fallen were collected from around him and laid in ceremonial position further up the beach.

_'How many died today…?'_ he hugged his knees closely to himself, contemplating the tragedy. His blue eyes glimpsed off to some way up the beach, Yuna was dancing again, sending the souls of the dead to a better place. _'People die, and Yuna dances. When will she stop dancing…? When will it stop…?' _He watched her graceful form glimmer with resplendent light with every gentle move she made: a slight twinge of sorrow showing through her strong eyes. _'Yuna won't stop dancing-- not until Sin is gone.'_

_"Those were my thoughts then… I think."_

"I see you're still here."

Tidus looked up, falling from his reflective state. "Huh?"

"Many stories ended here today…" Auron continued, staring away over the horizon. "But…yours goes on I see."

"What?" Tidus murmured, as the man paced away.

The blitzer lingered back, locking his cerulean gaze into the distance once more.

_"Sin had come and gone, but I remained here."_

Pushing himself to his feet he wandered over to the other side of the beach where Auron was headed. He was glad to see all his fellow guardians were there, and in one piece too, which was more than he could say for himself as he was the one who took a nose-dive of the edge of the precipice.

As he got further, he saw Auron was already locking horns with Kinoc who was ready to depart with Seymour.

"A swift retreat." The scarlet-clad warrior said grimly, staring the yellow-robed maester in the eye. "Satisfied?" he hissed venomously.

"What do you mean?" Kinoc queried darkening, he seemed naturally oblivious to what the warrior was pointing out.

"Those who turned from Yevon died, while the faithful live on." Auron stated harshly.

Kinoc inhaled sourly; aggrieved by the warrior's words. "The past ten years have changed you, I see…"

From the distance Yuna prayed, as the maester and Auron went their separate ways. It was only when Seymour turned back to her that she faltered suddenly.

"You do not look so well." He said, approaching her slowly. "But now more than ever, you must be the people's strength, their confidence."

Yuna quailed nervously, as he read her naivete.

"Anyone else would be expected to show their sorrow." He continued, passing his silver gaze over the field of fading bodies. "But you… are a summoner. You are Spira's hope."

Yuna let her head down gracefully; it really was down to her now…

"Until Sin is defeated you must not relent." Seymour stated, his penetrating stare almost searing holes in her flesh. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand." She nodded compliantly, with a heavy breath.

"Are you afraid?" he inquired, noticing the frail smile crumbling from her face.

The summoner blinked.

"Yuna," the maester soothed "Take me as your pillar of strength. As Yunalesca had her Lord Zaon."

Yuna stared up at him innocently, not quite reading the meaning behind his words.

"Lady Yuna," he concluded with a low bow. "Until next we meet, farewell."

She watched in reverence as he departed, Tidus observed also, but only momentarily, he had other issues that needed to be dealt with.

In no time he'd found the warrior further down the beach leaning back on the solid wall.

"Sin is Jecht." Auron said those fateful words once more, stinging the blitzer's ears.

"Yeah," Tidus murmured letting his shoulder sag. "For a while there I thought I could feel him… But that doesn't mean I believe you." He said looking up defiantly.

"Sin _is_ Jecht" Auron assured earnestly. "He came here for you."

"So he killed all those people just for a chance to see _me_?" Tidus cried, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"That's what Sin does." The warrior explained dolefully with a dark glint in his brown eyes. "He wanted to show that to you… Do you know why?"

"How am _I_ supposed to know?" Tidus snorted, stretching his arms behind his head.

"So you would kill him."

The blitzer swung around, engrossed by the deep gravity in Auron's voice.

"As long as he is Sin, Jecht will keep killing." The warrior affirmed. "He wants you to stop him."

"You gotta be kidding." The blitzer cringed, screwing his face up. "How do you know all of this, anyway?" he interrogated.

Auron chuckled lightly to himself behind his high collar. Without another word, he ventured off, mounting the high path that Kinoc and Seymour had taken.

"I'm not done talking to you!" Tidus shouted after him madly. "Don't you run away!"

The warrior halted momentarily, glancing back over his shoulder. "You're the one running."

Tidus clenched his fists bitterly as he watched the man pass out of sight. Would he ever get the answers he yearned for…?

To be continued…

_AN: Hiya! All I can say is thank god this chapter is out of the way! Yippee! I hope I've done a good job you lot, 'cause I've been dreading writing it for weeks!  
Again, I'm a tad paranoid about the length, but all the dialogue sequences in this part of the game are quite vital to the development of the plot so I couldn't leave much out, which may make the chapter seem boring…yawn… There's also a lot of areas that I think need more work on, but there's so much to point out at this vital stage in the game that I tended to be less descriptive, hope it doesn't send you to sleep, I know it makes me nod off… I can never read my own work in the eyes of a reader, so at times I find it quite boring reading the chapters through over and over…maybe that's why there's little mistakes all the time…hmm, or maybe it's because I have the attention span of a gnat. _

_By the way, thanks for helping with who to kill!. Gatta is the better choice, isn't he? I always liked Luzzu better than him anyway._

_Oh and seeing as Christmas is coming up, I may be late in updating next time around. Coming from a family as big as mine, it's hard to find the time to write at this time of year. But I'm gonna try my best and get chappie 12 out by Christmas Eve._

_If I don't get to you before then, I hope you have a lurvely xmas! _

_Laters!  
xxVSxx_

_Ps Don't forget to review me, you guys!_


	12. Another Summoner

_Thankies to…**Ashley125, Hart, TgIiDgUiS, Daz, Griselda Banks and Vampiress24** for your great reviews!_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own ffx/ffx-2 or the characters in them!_

Chapter 12: Another Summoner.

Leaving the fading bodies of the deceased behind, Yuna mounted the long dirt path in pursuit of the red-robed warrior. Lulu and Wakka were close to follow, walking swiftly from the drying sands of the wasted bay.

Tidus watched them depart; his face stiffened with grim solicitude. He lingered there momentarily among the reddened alluvium, his heavy feet glued to the ground with a burdensome weight. It was only now that the wounds upon his face throbbed bitterly as the virulent sands were swept up in the breeze, invading the open cuts. The rough particles brushed past his stinging eyes, rebounding off the defensive lashes that protected his blue orbs jealously.

He didn't know how he felt at that moment, whether to be angry, or even sad. Looking back over the dishevelled sands, he realised that his first thought had come true: there _was_ more sorrow, more grief that was destined to come to this place; and it had. Now the air was stagnant with it: deep decaying sorrow, so strong, so potent that the land was drained of all energy, exhausted by it.

Somehow, Tidus felt it wrong to leave this place so soon after such a vicious attack: unlike the others who'd already departed all too willingly. Yet, as he thought this, his feet managed to stumble away from the cleaving sands, away from the lamenting sea. Without knowing it, he'd already reached the long expansive path. His steel-toed boots scraped along the dry surface as he stumbled about like a zombie, a sight for sore eyes with blood dried in patches on his face.

He'd only got a short way before the road turned quickly, leading him away from the dreary bay. He found himself looking down once more, looking down and over the grey horizon.

Jecht was out there… somewhere. Where…? He didn't know… and as what, he was yet to find out. Only one person held the key; the key that unlocked the door to all the questions that remained. But that person was proving hard to break, and even when the man did speak, Tidus didn't know whether to believe him or not…

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, the blitzer turned his back on the shore leaving it to bemoan his departure in spilling salty tears with each lapping wave that caressed the aching arid sands. The blonde shuffled along down the swerving path past the fatigued survivors who were slumped against the rock face being slowly healed by several orange-robed monks.

The blitzer bypassed them numbly, his mind overflowing with tangled thoughts as he listened deeply to the slow pounding footfalls before him. Raising his head gradually, he saw that the steps belonged to none other than the white haired ronso. Tidus wondered why Kimahri had lingered so far back from the head of the group; it must've been the first time the defensive guardian had let Yuna stray more than three metres away from him since the start of the pilgrimage.

Thinking on this, Tidus glanced some way down the road seeking to fix his eyes on her. As he did so, she turned around immediately; her eyes glistening back down the road towards him. A delighted smile passed over her bright face from the distance as she took the two straggling guardians in her sights.

"Hey, you two!" She called to them light-heartedly with a dazzling twinkle in her eyes. "Hurry up!"

Tidus instantly faltered, he stiffened sharply as she turned back and carried merrily on her way with a skip in her step. "_She's_ awfully cheerful..." He murmured, not quite comprehending why she'd taken on such a mood so soon.

Hearing the blitzer's words, Kimahri immediately ground to an abrupt halt. He turned to face the blonde and began pacing back to him slowly, stamping his feet as he did so.

Tidus gulped quietly, shrivelling away as he wondered what on earth the gruff guardian was going to do…

But, as Kimahri towered motionless above him, a low growl escaped the ronso's throat: somewhat softer than usual. His yellow feline eyes probed Tidus' blood stained features thoughtfully, analysing every detail of his face.

"In dark times she must be. She must shine bright."

The blitzer gasped loudly to catch his breath in absolute amazement. He blinked frantically to restrain his eyeballs from popping out of his head as the ronso's deep words of fractured language reached his ears.

"Now are dark times," Kimahri continued slowly. "Yuna tries hard."

Tidus nodded quickly, comprehending the meaning behind the ronso's remarkable utterance. "We should help her, then." He suggested.

To his surprise, Kimahri shook his head. "If we worry, she tries harder." The huge guardian turned back to walk away. "Do not frown." He said lightly, amazing Tidus with his gentle understanding.

"Don't worry, be happy?" The blitzer called raising an eyebrow as a flicker of amusement tickled at him from inside.

The ronso turned back in answer. "Kimahri try, too." He said, with a brief nod.

A smirk pulled at the blitzer's face. "Smile. Lemme see." He enthused, gawking up at the tall guardian.

Willingly, but keeping his arms folded, Kimahri turned the corners of his mouth upwards revealing his ferocious array of sharp gritted fangs. Tidus tried his best not to recoil out of amusement at the jocular grimace and ended up looking back sheepishly with a structured grin.

With his 'smile' accomplished, the ronso turned back almost immediately. Without another word, he continued after the rest of the party. Tidus followed suit, feeling somewhat touched by his fellow guardian's sudden enunciation.

Yuna: the burden of her pilgrimage was enough to deal with without having grouchy guardians to bring her down… Thinking back, Tidus recalled the summoner's words to him in Luca:  
_'Summoners_ _and_ _their_ _guardians_ _are_ _kind_ _of_ _like_ _Spira's_ _ray_ _of_ _light_. _A_ _lot_ _of_ _people_ _in_ _Spira_ _depend_ _on_ _us'_…

She was exactly right…  
The blitzer found himself laughing quietly in spite of himself. People on Spira _did _depend on Yuna, now more than ever. How could they rely on her if she was miserable? She had to be resilient…and so did he. Tidus sighed, deeply alleviated, from now on he'd have to be as blithe as possible…for Yuna's sake.

Quickening his slow pace to a run, he passed by the blur of monks and wounded Crusaders to catch up with the others. It wasn't long before they came into sight, standing at an open junction. The blitzer could see clearly that there were two ways onwards, to the left and straight on. Seeing the signposts for the next destinations only reminded him of one thing…

"Hey!" He cried loudly as he reached his companions position. "How much longer till Zanarkand?"

"Still a ways." Wakka replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"First down the Moonflow to the Guado city of Guadosalam… Then we cross the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania." Lulu stated.

"Oh, boy…" Tidus sighed, letting his head droop tiredly.

Yuna giggled amusedly at his display. "And before that, we get to pray at the temple in Djose!" she sung with a sweet smile, rubbing it in.

The blitzer narrowed his eyes with disheartened cognisance. "We can't just skip all that…? Can we huh?"

"Uh-uh." The summoner shook her head, her eyes gleaning brightly. "I have to pray to the fayth in every temple in order to earn the Final Aeon."

"That's a summoner's training." Wakka proclaimed proudly, poking at her in a playful manner. "She's gotta prepare mind and body, all just to get ready for the Final Summoning."

"Hmm…" Tidus pondered thoughtfully, bringing his hand up to his chin. "Must be tough, Yuna." He said, looking up to meet her sparkling dual eyes.

The summoner laughed softly with a wide beaming smile at his consideration. "I'll be fine with _you_ here!"

With the ending of her words, she healed his scored face, and turned to head off down the path leading straight on, along with Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri. Tidus followed, wondering lightly with a faint grin over what she'd said; did she mean all of them or just him…?

"Hey, new guy."

The sudden utterance knocked him out of his daydream. "Uh… me?" He asked, turning back to face the scarlet-clad warrior.

"Who else?" Auron stated solemnly, approaching him with slow gradual steps.

"What can I do for you, boss?" Tidus inquired, stretching his arms behind his head with a playful grin.

"Don't tell Yuna you know about Sin and Jecht." The man decreed with deep gravity.

"Eh…?" The blitzer raised a quizzical eyebrow, not quite catching on.

"You know her…" Auron stated. "She would… distance herself from you. We do not want that."

"I see, I think…" Tidus replied. "Yeah, but even if I did say something, no one would believe me, y'know?"

Auron continued to stare at him with sombre perseverance. "Yuna would."

"Ah…you have a point." Tidus admitted, scratching his head. Yuna believed him the first time around about his Zanarkand, so what would stop her from believing him about Jecht...?

"Come to think of it…" the blitzer remarked suddenly, "did _I_ really have to know about Jecht? What about _my_ feelings?"

"Better than you finding out at a critical moment and becoming emotional." Auron responded with a faint twinkle in his eyes.

"What? Me, _emotional_?" Tidus retorted with a slight laugh, brushing the warrior's statement off as ridiculous.

A whimsical glimmer flickered across the man's face before he turned to leave. "I heard you were… quite the crybaby."

Hearing the declaration only threw Tidus into another sea of thoughts…

_"Yeah, maybe when I was a kid…  
Maybe even a little now.  
Just a little."_

"Hey!" He cried coming to his senses and realising Auron had strayed off again. "I still don't buy your story, you hear?"

The man didn't reply nor did he turn back to argue. Tidus stamped his foot on the dry ground surface and dashed after him, his face still tingling from Yuna's refreshing White magic.

As he advanced further, the blitzer was surprised to see that the ground ahead of him widened abruptly to form a short bridge, forged of dusty stone. Its colours were mainly clouded greens and blues, withered away and eroded with the passage of time. Beneath the bridge's entirety, lingered the last trickles of the swirling grey sea; but something else grasped the blitzer's attention even before he could pause to peer over the side…

A deep, dull rumble suddenly ensued beneath his feet, shaking the whole bridge gently with its shuddering power; it was coming from up ahead.

"Whoa!" Tidus exclaimed softly, as the ground steadied back to a halt. But he had no time to investigate the occurrence as his eyes fixed onto something else: Captain Lucil… she was alive!

He rushed over to the Chocobo Knight, relieved to see that she was in the company of her old comrades: Elma… and the basin-haired man. Yuna was already deep in discussion with the captain by the time he reached them.

"Yuna, it is good to see you and your companions are well." Lucil said graciously, saluting in her usual respectful manner.

"Yourselves aswell captain. We were worried." The summoner replied, bestowing the small company with a low bowing prayer. "Praise be to Yevon."

Lucil faltered instantly upon hearing Yuna's words. "We escaped with our lives," she said shaking her head sorrowfully, "but our troops… were decimated."

"Of all our chocobos, only this one made it." Elma added, signalling to the tall bird behind them; the pain was more than evident in her usual merry voice.

The chocobo blinked its blue eyes wistfully and squeaked as a bucket load of aggrieved glances saturated it suddenly.

"We make pretty poor Chocobo Mounted Forces without chocobos." The basin-haired man stated despondently, stroking the flaxen plumage about the bird's neck.

The captain agreed with a firm nod. "We turned out backs on the teachings of Yevon and cast away our faith." She admitted, torn with aching dejection "This... this is our just reward."

There was nothing Yuna could do or say to console the trio, what was done was done. She took her leave of them reluctantly and headed to the clearing at the end of the bridge, where the rest of her guardians were waiting. As she drew to a halt in the very centre, Tidus stole the opportunity to have a good look around.

All in all the clearing was tiny, it didn't differ much in colour or contour to the Mushroom Rock Road; it was however much drier here. Only one small building stood away to the right side. It was fairly odd-looking, being round in shape with a short pointing roof; Tidus could barely make out the words 'Djose Inn' above the wide iron door.

Yet, even as this place seemed dry and desolate, it still thrived with heaps of life. Several large groups of small, sand-coloured monkeys bounded around the place energetically, squealing with delight as they chased each other's tails. Monkeys: they were the last animal the blitzer would've imagined residing here, especially as there were only withered plants about the place, and no trees.

Spotting an easy prey, the cheeky simians instantly assembled in a rugged clan and nestled about the blitzer's feet, busying themselves in playing with his long shoelaces. Tidus tried in vain to scare them away worried that they would tie his boots together when he wasn't looking. Of course monkeys weren't _that_ smart were they? But, Tidus wasn't willing to take any chances.

With hesitant shrieks of upheaval, the tiny long-tailed rascals took a boot up the backside and scampered off to harass someone else, leaving Tidus to probe his surroundings for this temple. Yet as he scanned his whereabouts, the blitzer could see that there was no possible way onwards, just a tall wall of stone.

In the very centre of it was a long column-shaped lump leading straight down to the craggy floor. Following the bizarre shape with his cerulean eyes, Tidus discovered that hiding at the very bottom in a dark cleft, was a wide door emblazoned with the bronze glyphs of Yevon.

"Is that the Djose temple?" The blitzer inquired, staring at the strange formation curiously.

In the instant that he spoke, the bizarre rumble ensued once more. Tidus knew this time that it was coming from the column before them. He watched in amazement as a thunderous jet of lightning emerged from the very top of the tall rock formation. It swirled in crackling blue splendour round and round, each time growing with pulsating power. In a final burst of gentle strength, the electricity shot down the column vertically, splitting the entirety in two. The formation exploded skilfully on the impact of the blow, revealing the rustic Djose temple beneath it.

"Awesome!" Tidus gawked with wide eyes as he beheld the gentle display with wonder. Yet, to his surprise the bursted pieces of rock didn't fall to the ground, instead they were drawn back by the electrical energy that emanated wondrously from the previously concealed building.

Looking at it, he saw that this temple was very different to the others, different as they all were from each other even though they all served the same purpose. Djose temple, compared to his previous encounters of Spiran temples wasn't as brightly coloured or decorated. It was more simplistic, looking akin to some kind of iron fortress. The chief hues splashed upon it were mainly deep browns and greys, giving it a daunting yet sombre appearance. It was however the tallest temple Tidus had witnessed by far, as its entirety didn't span in depth but height and towered over him spectacularly, surrounded by swirling rock.

"The lightning mushroom rock." Lulu explained, observing the floating shards of stone now orbiting the temple slowly. "It only opens when a summoner is addressing the fayth."

"That means another summoner's already in there." Wakka concluded running his thumbs up and down the straps of his blitz gear.

"Another summoner?" Yuna inquired, turning back to them with a questioning glance.

Tidus pondered for a while before a shuddering thought struck him. "What if it's _Dona_?"

Yuna stiffened immediately upon hearing the blasted woman's name. Another run-in with her would be most unfortunate. "We have to hurry."

"Right!" Tidus enthused. "In we go!"

The company headed for the wide temple door eagerly, but before they could enter Wakka spotted a recognisable shape slumped down against the side wall. Not giving the others a chance to question him, the islander strayed over and placed a comforting hand on the figure's cold shoulder.

The Crusader turned to face him, his eyes pallid as if all the life had drained away from them. "Hey…" he voiced quietly as the rest of the party halted over him, the heavy exhaustion more than evident in his strained voice. "Gatta, he's…he's dead."

The group gazed upon Luzzu sympathetically; yet they could find no words that would help or comfort him.

"He was a good fighter. He just wasn't lucky enough…" the Crusader continued. The party remained quiet as they knew his anger, his frustration could not be subdued for long; he was bound to crack at some point… and he did.

"AH DAMN IT!" He yelled like a beast goaded into madness, pounding his fists into the rock hard temple wall. "He was young! He pushed his luck!" The blood blasted from the scored knuckles as they crunched together relentlessly against the exterior. "What was he thinking going out on the front lines like that? He should've stayed back with command!" Luzzu fumed with unmerciful rage, almost bringing himself to his knees as he hacked his gnarled hands into the surface, almost as if his life depended on it. "DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!"

The Crusader's shocking outburst of hostile wrath scared those that knew him well completely out of their skins. They'd never seen Luzzu like this; he was always a very temperate man that restrained his anger even in battle.

"Luzzu, knock it off." Wakka cried calmly, approaching the man without fear.

The Crusader turned on him, raging with infernal adrenaline. "You don't know what it's like!" he screamed irrationally.

"I… _do_… know." Wakka retorted firmly.

Luzzu turned away instantly, suddenly realising what he'd said. "I… I'm…sorry…" he breathed heavily, overcoming his rage.

"Why don't you… go home now, to Besaid?" Wakka suggested with a kind twinkle in his dark eyes. "Take it easy a while. Rest, ya?"

"Rest…?"

"You need some R & R." The islander affirmed, showing his concern. "You're hurt, ya?"

"I…I guess so…"

"Get better." Wakka nodded with kind appraisal, patting his friend on the shoulder. "I can't beat up on you when you're all depressed, ya?" he said, hoping the Crusader would appreciated the humour.

Luzzu turned back to face him, a new light sparkled in his eyes; a fresh light of restored hope. "Right." He agreed with a fatigued nod.

"All right!" Wakka chuckled, guiding the Crusader through the temple doors.

Tidus watched the pair in wonder; there it was again--that Spiran resilience. How they put up with things so easily was extraordinary to him.

He followed close behind as they proceeded into the main hall of the temple. Upon entering, the blitzer wasn't the least bit surprised to find that the interior bore no stark differences to Kilika or Besaid. The colours were somewhat lighter; being mostly pale blues and greens. Much like the others, this temple had a theme: lightning.

Small sparks crackled and fizzed from the torches that lay upon the walls taking the place of fire, and highlighting the golden metal insignias that showered the cloister stairs.

Tidus strove to take a step forward over the threshold before realising the warrior had hung back near the doorframe at his side.

"So you're a champion of Yevon now, Braska?" he said quietly, his dark eyes fixed onto the tall statue of the late High summoner in the near distance.

Tidus wondered momentarily at Auron's strange words. Dismissing them as the warrior's thoughts spoken aloud, he turned his attention back to the contents of the room. Flocks of robed monks bustled about frantically, busily ferrying wounded Crusaders to and fro between the back chambers of the temple. The bald men even took Luzzu with them, offering to heal his injuries graciously with their ancient magic.

Despite the fact they'd gone against the teachings and joined forces with the machina-using Al Bhed, the monks of Yevon seemed to have taken the Crusaders straight back under their wing, willing to do all they could to aid them. Now, being in the predicament that they were in, it was more than clear that the Crusaders would never defy the holy religion again, not after what had happened.

Tidus pondered silently over this strange conclusion to the awful events. His mind cast back to Kinoc's words before the operation: _'You know this plan won't work. Let's let them dream a little longer…'_

Was this why Auron had said all those things to Kinoc before he left with Seymour? Had Yevon really planned this all along…just so the Crusaders wouldn't betray them again…?

The sheer thought sent shivers down the blitzer's spine, thinking like _that_ could get him in a whole lot of trouble; maybe it would be for the best if he kept his mouth shut on this one.

Casting his suspicions to the back of his mind, he joined Yuna and the others. But before he could question what was next on the agenda, the cloister doors above them swung open suddenly, forcing a blast of cold air down the steps towards them. Immediately, everyone paused in shivering silence to stare up the steep staircase, the anticipation in the air was almost unbearable.

Then, in a quick flash, a small figure darted down from the open doorway. To their surprise, the party found it was a little bright-eyed boy with dark hair pulled back tightly on his head. He rushed down the steps energetically, giggling and almost tumbling in his haste. The group almost dismissed him as a normal kid playing stupid tricks, until they laid eyes upon his companion.

Following a short way behind the child was a young man of tall stature. He was very similar in age to Wakka, bearing pale prominent features that gave him an air of quiet nobility. As he strode down the steps slowly, Tidus could see that he wore long, brightly-coloured ceremonial robes almost reminding the blitzer of the statue of Lord Braska. Much like the young boy, this man had long mousy-brown hair set up in a high ponytail on his head.

It was only when he reached the lower level that a third individual departed from the trials. The male looked much closer to Tidus' age, and unlike the other two his hair was short. His weapon-adorned garb made him look very similar to a Crusader, but something told the blitzer that this was not so…

As the three of them grouped together at the bottom of the stairs, Yuna immediately fell under the robed man's gaze. Without hesitation, he advanced towards her, bearing a curious questioning glance as the other two tagged along behind him.

"I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?" He asked politely in a deep solemn voice, his eyes scanning her pale face with intense wonder.

"I am Summoner Yuna, from the isle of Besaid." She answered courteously.

Her guardians mounted behind her, watching with interest as the stranger's face widened to form a pleased smile.

"As I thought!" The man exclaimed softly. "The daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father."

Yuna gazed up to him becoming mindfully engrossed. "My father? You… knew him?"

"No, I have never met the man." He stated with a disappointed shake of his head.

Kimahri suddenly stepped up close to Yuna's side, his feline glare growing with suspicion.

"Ah, my apologies." The stranger said bowing low as he sensed the immediate reason behind the ronso's action; he'd missed telling them the most important piece of information. "I am Isaaru. I'm a summoner, like you."

"I'm Pacce! Pleased to meet ya!" The little boy couldn't help butting in as he bounced up and down on the spot excitedly.

"And I'm Maroda." The third proclaimed calming the child with a tired roll of his eyes. "I'm guarding my big brother here." He stated wearily, looking back to Isaaru.

Isaaru nodded in affirmation and gazed up to the mighty statue of Yuna's father, just as Auron had done minutes earlier. "Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska. I wished I could someday become a high summoner like he was. You must have some of your father's talent in you!" He remarked, letting his blue eyes fall back to Yuna with a smile. "I believe that you might someday defeat Sin."

"I… I'm not really… I've only just become a summoner." Yuna responded bowing her head modestly as a faint blush pulsed over her cheeks.

A wide grin spread over Isaaru's face as she did so. "Of course, I've no intention of losing, either." He clenched his fist eagerly as his guardians headed readily for the temple door. "So perhaps we should race to see who can defeat Sin first, no?"

Yuna raised her head to meet him with a beaming smile. "Very well, then. I accept your challenge."

"Isaaru!" Maroda called impatiently, leaning with casual impertinence on the doorframe.

"Yuna, I beg your leave." The summoner said, heeding his brother's call. "Good luck, to both of us!" With a final smile, he parted from their company and proceeded to the others by the door. Pacce was already driving Maroda hairless by the time he reached them.

Not willing to dwell over the strange summoner, Yuna and her guardians mounted the steps and entered the trials, leaving the daydreaming Tidus behind. The blitzer only realised what was going on when he found that he was standing alone in the middle of the room. Slightly peeved that they'd left him stood there, the blonde sauntered up to the steps eagerly, hoping the trials would be as easy as the previous two.

But he was quickly hindered as a voice called out, completely stopping him in his tracks. "Hey, you."

Tidus swivelled around stiffly. "Me?" He inquired staring with clueless question at the male summoner.

"You are Yuna's guardian, no?" Isaaru quizzed, approaching him slowly.

The blitzer nodded rigidly wondering where on earth the conversation was going to lead.

"Maroda's heard a curious rumour." Isaaru continued, his voice slowly brewing with growing concern. "I… thought you should know."

"I heard it from those Crusaders." Maroda stated stepping forwards and running his hand through his dark hair. "Seems that summoners have been going out on pilgrimage and just… disappearing."

"I could just be the fiends got them…but not so many so quickly." The summoner intervened anxiously.

"Sorry I don't know more, but… watch your back." Maroda affirmed, ignoring Pacce's infernal tugs at his clothing. "Ain't much future for a guardian without a summoner, eh?" he laughed.

Tidus nodded thoughtfully, wondering silently over the strange phenomenon.

"What? What?" Pacce interrupted bounding about between the two of them. "Whatcha all talkin' about?"

"We're talking about doing your job as a guardian!" Maroda sighed, looking to the boy with a stern eye.

"Hey, I'm doing good!" Pacce beamed, still jumping up to catch glimpses of their faces. "Right, big brother?" he inquired merrily, gazing up at the summoner.

Isaaru nodded with a pleased grin and patted him on the head. "Please be careful." He said, turning his attention back to the blitzer.

"Will do!" Tidus assured firmly.

With a brief farewell, Isaaru departed for the door with Maroda by his side, leaving Pacce staring up at the blitzer with a cheesy grin. Tidus watched in slight amusement as the young boy stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out two round blue lollipops. With a muffled giggle, he placed one in Tidus' hand and began un-wrapping his own with tiny fingers.

"Pacce!" Isaaru called from the door.

"Oh… What?" the boy retorted innocently.

"We're leaving!"

"Be right there!" Pacce cried dashing off as the daylight burst into the temple. "See ya!" he waved back to Tidus.

The blitzer turned heel and stepped up towards the cloisters. He passed under the ancient threshold, his mind filled to capacity with strange wandering thoughts. Disappearing summoners…?

"Hey!"

"Huh?" Tidus looked up vaguely, as Wakka's voice knocked him back into reality.

"Where you been all this time, Mr. Lollipop?" The islander teased, beaming at the blitzer with a sadistic grin.

"What…?" The blonde questioned, not quite catching on.

"Where'd you get the candies? I want one." Wakka persisted, growing surprisingly serious.

"This is neither the time nor the place to be arguing about _candy_!" Lulu scolded with admonishing rancour before Tidus could even think of explaining.

Wakka bowed his head quickly like a cowering puppy, ignoring Yuna's muffled giggles behind him. "Yes ma'am…"

Tidus gritted his teeth and stuffed the lolly in his pocket at lightning speed as Lulu's wrathful glance passed over to him. She was on top form as usual and he didn't want to be at the other end of her growling.

"Now, can we get on with this?" She inquired harshly, placing her hands on her hips like some kind of reprimanding headmistress.

"Sure!" Tidus squeaked merrily not willing to anger her further, and with that he stepped onto the platform on which they were all stood. Like in Kilika, he noticed that the trials here started of with an elevator ride. Looking down beneath his feet, he perceived a new shining glyph that pulsated in a gleaning blue electric light.

The platform shuddered suddenly beneath them, quivering violently as if it was about to break into pieces. Tidus feared at one point that it was about to collapse under their weight: there were six of them on it after all, and maybe it wasn't made for such an abundance of guardians.

But after a few seconds of rumbling tension the elevator calmed and raised them slowly up to the next and first level of the trials. Tidus was interested to see just how the party went about tackling the cloister as this was the first time he was _allowed _inside with them. He wondered if they were as clueless as him when it came to the strange puzzles within.

As the lift drew to a halt, the blitzer was surprised and alarmed to see to new large room that stretched out before them. It bore the same ancient stonework and glyphs as Besaid and Kilika; yet there was one fatal exception. Along the walls and running along the floor in straight gleaning lines were the shimmering streams of live electricity. The blitzer stared at them warily, it didn't take a brainiac to work out they were live; just by glancing at them the untrained eye could see that they were volatile. Of course, there had to be one exception to the rule; his name was Wakka.

As soon as he stepped off the safe uncharged platform, the islander's sandal-covered foot pushed down heavily upon one of the waiting electric rivers. There was an immediate frantic buzz of jolting fusion, scaring the party half to death with its ferocity. Wakka let out the most petrifying blood-curdling scream they'd ever heard, almost perforating their eardrums.

Lulu was the first to shout at him for disturbing the peace and for being so clumsy. And Yuna was the first to laugh at him, along with Tidus, who thought it was hilarious to see Wakka with his hair stood on end… more so than usual.

After the so-called peace was restored, the real challenge that lay ahead of them was unveiled. A giant glyph of Yevon waited for them, lying on the floor at the far side of the room. Some sections of it were lit with bright glittering light; the others had to be ignited. The summoner party soon learned that this was done through the placing of small spheres in random pedestals that were scattered about the place. A matter that was easier said than done.

Tidus ruefully found himself elected as the sphere carrier, how, he didn't know. Finding the spheres was easy as they were dispersed about the place in various clefts all over. But bearing them was a whole different ball game.

Unlike in Kilika, where the blazing spheres were a mere illusion, the electric-green Djose spheres were very much the real deal; as Tidus soon learned when he clasped hold of one unawares. Of course, he got shouted at for cursing aloud and he got scolded for dropping the damned things repeatedly as he juggled them from one hand to the other, whilst being determined not to leave the place sporting a new blonde afro.

A certain order of placement was also required which proved frustrating all round. Once one sphere had gone in, a piece of the glyph would light up and another piece would extinguish. As tedious and arduous as it was; looking back, Tidus found it was the most amusing cloisters yet; with the highlight being with Wakka and his final performance.

A gold medal should've been awarded to the bulky blitzer as he volunteered to place the final sphere. His job was to leap over a lowly lightning-covered crevasse to the pedestal waiting on the other side. A crevasse: its discovery behind a hidden door sunk their hearts to a new low. But, seeing Wakka's fierce determination to do something right, only made the rest of the party take a backseat to watch him perform the dramatic feat with skill, poise and… finesse.

With a leap of gigantic proportions, the islander landed with a resounding crash on the other side of the crackling abyss. It was only when Wakka was placing the final painful sphere that Tidus decided to toss a loose piece of stone down the gaping hole, for what reason he didn't know. It was an instinctive thing; he felt the urge to do it. Crouching down like an excited child, he cupped his ear and listened with a gaping jaw for that quick thud of the rock hitting the floor below. But there was nothing… not a sound.

"Hey, it's a bottomless pit! Awesome!" Tidus cried down into its depths. Now that the sphere had been inserted, the electricity barring its opening had vanished, leaving its gaping black mouth open to engulf any clumsy, red-haired, blitzball-playing victims.

It was then that a slow squealing yelp caught the blonde's attention. Tidus glanced up in question. He had to look twice to comprehend who it was.

Wakka: he cowered away from the hole, flattening himself against the back wall comically like an elephant shrivelling away from a mouse. Everyone found this rather amusing, even Auron who seemed to display a rare wry smile behind his tall collar.

It took them ages to persuade the islander to jump back over, and even when he did attempt to do a run-up, he wimped out at the last minute and ended up jiggling about on the spot like a scared schoolgirl.

Finally, after what seemed to be forever, the bulky blitzer made it over in one piece, panting heavily like he'd just run a marathon. After a long calming down and reprimanding from Lulu, Wakka was ready to proceed onwards, away from the hair-raising madness.

Access, thanks to the islander, was now made easy, as the glowing floor glyph was completed. It flashed in one piece rapidly with a blinding white light, sending trickles of crackling lightning up the walls. In strange reply to the flashing phenomenon, another rounded lift lowered down from the floor above and rested upon the glyph softly. The company was more than happy to hop onto the elevator and let it take them up to where the fayth awaited.

A short walk down a narrow corridor was all it took to reach the antechamber. As always, the rounded room was eerily lit with strange pulsing lamps and glowing glyphs, giving the entire place a heavy foreboding aura. Taking a few brief words of good fortune with her, Yuna descended behind the mighty door that led her into the chamber of the fayth and a new aeon.

"Well, well. You, again." A sneering voice proclaimed in the instant that the door slammed shut behind the summoner. The familiar voice sent shivers down Tidus' spine, it was the very person he was dreading to see. But how she'd followed them in so quickly he didn't know…

Swinging around tiredly, he fixed his cerulean eyes onto Dona. He saw that as always she had her muscle-head man guardian with her: Barthello.

The glaring summoner eyed him with a mocking grimace screwed over her face. "Still travelling with quite the crowd, I see."

Tidus shrugged, he couldn't be bothered answering her as she'd just bite back with something better. He already knew her too well.

But her haughty display was brought to a premature close when her guardian strangely adopted a mind of his own. Barthello suddenly strayed from her side, deviating completely from his limpet-like character, and wandered over to where Auron was lingering by the entrance.

"What is it, Barthello?" Dona inquired, slamming her hands onto her hips. "You know this riff-raff?"

You are… Auron, no?" Her guardian quizzed, ignoring her question and scanning the scarlet-clad warrior closely with deep interest.

Auron reciprocated the man's glance coldly from behind the lenses of his dark glasses. "What of it?"

A twinge of excitement flickered in Barthello's eyes, as his suspicions were proved correct. "Can… I shake you're hand?" he gushed as a lopsided grin wiped over his face. "Auron-- no, _Sir_ Auron. You're the reason I became a guardian!"

An uncommon laugh escaped the warrior's lips as he beheld the Barthello's excitement over meeting him; he was like some kind of exuberant child. Without a word, Auron held his gloved hand out so the man could take it.

Barthello's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store at the gesture and grasped hold of the hand with his own tightly. "Oh, thank you, sir! This means so much to me!" he cried, almost welling up with enraptured joy.

Auron smiled wryly from behind his collar, but only until the man released him.

"Calling the personal guardian to Lord Braska _riff_-_raff_?" Wakka interrupted unable to hold his peace much longer and staring at Dona with frustration, desperate to give her a taste of her own medicine.

"And you call yourself a summoner?" Lulu added.

"Yeesh!" Tidus hissed, eyeing the summoner with a scowl now that he had the chance to get his own jibe in.

Dona heaved a sigh of deep upheaval, ignoring the remarks thrown at her. "Barthello, enough! Get back here!"

The muscle-head man scampered back to her side, cupping his hand eagerly: the hand that had grasped the palm of his hero.

"Hang in there, buddy, eh?" Tidus laughed watching Barthello as he did the best jelly impression he'd ever seen, staring shakily with a gaping jaw at his own palm.

"I swear, I'll never wash this hand again!" the bulky man gushed, as his summoner dragged him over to the other side of the room.

"Please!" she spat folding her arms with a threatening glare. "Touch me that hand and I'll remove it!"

It was at that moment, when all had settled down that it sounded once more: the song. Tidus overcame his quiet laughter to listen to it intently; it was the same song he'd heard a long time ago, the song he recognised from his childhood…

Suddenly, before his mind could relapse, the chamber door shuddered within its frame. Showers of swirling dust spewed lightly from its sides as it raised gradually from the ground, revealing a fatigued Yuna on the other side. The young summoner stumbled out with dizzying vision, desperately trying to cleave her hands onto the rounded frame to steady herself.

Kimahri was there to catch her just in time as she fell delicately to her knees, breathing heavily as trickles of perspiration streamed from her brow.

"You owe much to your father." Dona hissed in an unfavourable manner, strolling closer to the door so she could get a better look at the one she had chosen to be her nemesis. "All these guardians… and Sir Auron, too?" She jeered, raising her dark eyebrows. "And I hear Maester Seymour's quite taken with you. The world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska."

"This has nothing to do with my father!" Yuna argued with desperate vehemence as she brushed the damp hair from her rosy coloured cheeks with a small sweep of her weak hands. "I am travelling on my own as a full-fledged summoner!"

"Oh, is that so?" The dark-haired woman quizzed scornfully. "Then try standing on your own two legs for once." She thrust her nose in the air and strutted straight for the oval door. "Your guardians won't be able to protect you when the time comes."

With that she descended into the chamber of the fayth, leaving Tidus deeply perplexed over her words. Passing her statement off as deriding banter, he joined the others as they departed from the antechamber, deathly silent. Dona must've left them all with a bad taste in their mouths, the blitzer figured.

Night fell quickly upon Djose from that moment onwards. Tidus was ushered away almost instantly to the inn. A strange quiet aura had enveloped his comrades since leaving the temple, he didn't know what had come over them; yet he was dissuaded from asking out of fear of getting his head bitten off by Lulu.

As always, he was presented with a simple room housing a single straw bed, to his dismay supplies of food were down due to the numbers of casualties due to Operation Mi'ihen; as were potions.

Ruefully taking a few morsels to eat, including a piece of dry crusty bread that he swore had gone past its sell by date twenty years earlier, the blitzer settled down to sleep.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As morning dawned, the blitzer awoke to the sound of silence: something that hadn't occurred before in all the time he'd been on Spira. Sluggishly, he wiped the sleep from his bleary eyes and pushed himself to his feet. He exited the chamber door and paced out into the morning light that shone in through the main entrance, yawning as he went.

Looking around at his close surroundings, he beheld Wakka and Lulu stood not far away. Auron and Kimahri were up near the temple waiting patiently by the door. Tidus heaved a heavy fatigued sigh, he was the last up again… but it was not so…

Where was Yuna?

The blitzer scratched his head slightly baffled, when he stopped to think about it he hadn't seen her at all after she got the new aeon… Yuna was never late…

Keeping this in mind, he made his excuses to his waiting comrades and wandered into the temple in search of the missing summoner. Inside, he came across another he'd been wondering about: Luzzu.

"I suppose this is farewell, then." The Crusader said, becoming aware of Tidus' presence and rising from his prayers.

"Huh?" The blitzer questioned surprised.

"I'm leaving… back to Besaid." Luzzu replied solemnly; Wakka's advice seemed to already be in motion. "I can't stay here eating the temple's bread forever. I'm one of the only Crusaders still here."

Tidus nodded silently.

"If you're looking for Yuna, she's in the nun's chamber… over there. " Luzzu said quietly. "Well, farewell then, I hope we meet again."

With that, the man passed from the blitzer's sight and departed through the temple doors. His work for Spira was done… now only time could heal his wounds, the wounds that were bored into him by loss.

Tidus turned to face the door, which Luzzu had pointed to. He paced over, past the scurrying throng of monkeys and shoved on the wide patterned door at the back of the main hall.

As it creaked open, the blitzer was faced with a small rounded room. It was illustriously decorated about the walls with endless scrolls of dark painted runes. He was quite taken aback by how home-like it all was. Small leather couches were set out near tall stacks of shelves, filled to capacity with vials and bottles, their coloured glass glimmering splendidly in the lightning lamp that glittered in the midst of the room.

Searching deeper into the room, the blitzer's blue eyes cast down upon a young woman dressed in orange and green: a nun. She was gazing down upon a single bed at the far side, her eyes softly filled with undulating awe. Tidus wandered over quietly, wondering what the woman was so engrossed in watching. As he got closer, he found that it was none other than the delicate form of the sleeping summoner lying peacefully beneath the white cotton sheets.

"She was working until dawn." The young nun informed mildly, never taking her eyes from Yuna. "Healing the wounded, sending the fallen."

"Okay… I guess I'll just let her sleep for now, then…" Tidus replied.

Yet, as he did so, the summoner groaned softly in her sleep and turned to face them, the lids still drawn loosely over her jewelled eyes. Tidus found himself caught in the moment as he gazed deeply onto her pale radiant face, filled with angelic innocence as she breathed gently, seeming so delicate. It was hard to believe that the fate of Spira almost hung over her as she lay there, her face a picture of ethereal tranquillity.

Then suddenly, her shielded eyes slid open revealing the crystalline orbs beneath, glittering as clear as day. She rose slowly, swivelling around to a seated position with a gentle sigh.

"Ah, good morning!" Tidus said cheerfully, taking a step back.

Yuna looked up to meet him. "What…? Morning?" she asked quickly, her eyes hazing over.

"Don't worry!" he exclaimed shaking his hands about sensing her impending despair.

"But it's morning!" she cried. The summoner leapt to her feet, blinking abysmally with dismay. "I'm so sorry! I-I'll get ready right away! Just a moment!" Yuna commenced dashing about the place frantically like a headless chicken, desperately trying to find her long boots.

"Don't worry 'bout it! It's okay!" Tidus reassured kindly with a nod before slipping back out of the door. He made his way for the temple entrance with a faint smile; anyone else would've thought Yuna had done something much worse that getting up late by the way she was reacting.

By the time the blitzer had stepped out side, Yuna had already caught up to him and her distraught mood hadn't lightened.

"Yo! Sleepyhead!" Wakka teased merrily with a wide grin upon seeing her.

"Sorry!" I'm so sorry!" Yuna panted, bowing like she'd committed some kind of crime. "Please forgive me."

"Really there's no rush…" Lulu reassured. "Here, your hair."

Yuna blinked momentarily bewildered, before she realised the messy predicament her brown locks were in.

"A summoner with bed hair!" Wakka gasped comically. "What's the world comin' to?" he snickered.

The summoner straightened her hair out rapidly with a bashful expression. "You could've woken me up!" She exclaimed.

"Erm… we called to you, but with all that snoring…" Lulu added, as an uncommon teasing smirk pulled at her face.

Yuna gasped, before realising the cheeky lie. "Mmm… what is it today?" she said, screwing her face up with a feigned pout. "Everyone's picking on me!"

Her guardians couldn't contain themselves much longer and began to laugh loudly with bursting cheer.

"You, too, Sir Auron?" The summoner exclaimed in feigned exasperation, as she perceived the warrior chuckling briefly behind his high collar, joining in with the others.

"Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave!" he retorted, mimicking Lulu's uncharacteristic ribbing.

He led the way, back to the bridge as the others followed behind him, laughing merrily seeming to have not a care in the world. Tidus clutched his stomach, trying to regain his composure and watched as the summoner paused momentarily to watch her guardians depart with a growing smile.

_"I hadn't really laughed like that in a long time.  
It was only later that realised…_

_The only one really laughing then… was me.  
Laughing must've been the only thing keeping them going."_

With a contented sigh, Tidus pursued the summoner as she raced back onto the faded stone bridge, leaving Djose temple behind; now concealed once more inside the magical lightning rock. However, it wasn't long before the two of them were waylaid... The rapid footfalls of a chocobo suddenly pounded behind them and a familiar voice cried out:

"Off so early?"

The pair turned quickly to behold captain Lucil, astride her flaxen-feathered steed once more. As always, Elma was by her side; which was impressive, as she'd managed to keep up with the enormous chocobo's lightning-fast pace.

"Lady Yuna, you must be exhausted after working so hard last night. Will you be okay?" Lucil inquired growing concerned.

Yuna laughed bashfully, her efforts the night before hadn't gone unnoticed. "I feel that I have rested enough. But, thank you for your kindness!" She bowed down respectfully. "Will you be leaving, too?"

"Yes," the captain announced saluting firmly to her chest "first we cross the Moonflow, and then we head north in search of chocobos to replace those we have lost."

"Once we find chocobos, our Mounted Forces will ride again!" Elma added with an excited twinkle in her eyes.

"Huh?" Tidus questioned, scratching his head at her words. "Aren't you missing someone?"

Even before the women could reply an ear-splitting shriek resounded out behind them. "CAPTAIN! WAAAAAIT FOR MEEEEE!"

The basin-haired man came dashing towards them frenziedly in a panic, almost bowling over those that stood in his path.

"Clasko, what took you so long? We're leaving!" Elma stated folding her arms abruptly as he screeched to a halt before them, panting heavily as he crouched over his knees.

"Y-You expect me to keep up with a chocobo?" He exclaimed, fighting for breath.

Lucil shook her head disapprovingly. "Lady Yuna!" she cried turning her attention back to the summoner. "I wish you good fortune." With a final salute she turned for the open road. "Elma! Clasko! Let's go!"

"Eh?" Clasko yelped as the two women sped away leaving him to eat their dust. "C-can't I just rest a sec…?"

Tidus and Yuna muffled their laughter as the poor man was forced to hobble clumsily after his comrades…which reminded them; _their_ comrades were waiting, too.

Strolling a short way, the rest of the summoner party were found loitering about on the same junction that Tidus had pondered about previously.

"Where to next?" the blitzer quizzed casually folding his arms.

"We cross the Moonflow." Lulu replied signalling down a wide road that opened out to the right.

"Gotcha!" Tidus retorted staring down the densely flourishing road with eager anticipation. "Moonflow, baby, here we come!"

He didn't know how or why, but his spirit felt revitalised; the pilgrimage had hit a new high.

To be continued…

_AN: Howdy! Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long with this chappie! Did you guys have a cool xmas or what?  
I can't wait to start work on the Moonflow, it's one of my all time fave parts of the game. This is probably because from Djose onwards we see Tidus caring more about his job (amongst other things): one of the first changes in the growth of his character. His development is presented in a very subtle way, which I find is only really noticeable once you've played the game several times. _

_What else did I want to talk about…? Oh, yes that's it! I've been torn between creating two things: C2 community or forum… Mmm, can't quite decide… Knowing me, I'll probably go for both! Decisions, decisions…_

_Oh well, gotta go! Hopefully I'll be back to updating weekly again from now on.  
Cya!_

_Vogue Star_

_Remember to review me peeps!_


	13. Reunion

_Thankies to…**XxRoseGoddessXx, Sam, Nansej and deserthermit **for yourgreat reviews!  
Here's chappie 13!_

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own ffx or ffx-2 or the characters in them!_

Chapter 13: Reunion.

Casually taking the position of group leader, Tidus strolled down the winding path before them at a leisurely pace. He had no idea what they were intending to cross, but with a name like Moonflow it sure sounded pretty sweet.

Stretching his arms behind his head nonchalantly, he gazed up into the cloudless morning sky. The glorious sun, after what seemed to be a lifetime of oppression, had finally come out to play. Casting its warm rays down upon the land, it created a pleasant sense of tranquillity about the place; something the blitzer had strangely longed for. Despite the fact he came from Zanarkand, the bustling metropolis that exploded with life: Tidus strangely found himself growing more and more accustomed to the peaceful serenity that Spira had to offer.

Sighing with deep contentment, he looked down to examine his nearer surroundings. At either side of the golden gravel-covered path were long trails of opulent green turf, all filled with a lavish abundance of white daisies. In amongst their white flowering petals flitted tiny swarms of buzzing insects, gathering dusty pollen on their shining crystalline wings. The place truly was picturesque in its own special way.

It was only when they'd been on the road for some time that Tidus noticed something strange in his comrades' behaviour: they were all deathly silent. Listening inquisitively, all the blitzer could hear the slow shuffling of their feet on the dry ground as they wandered behind him attentively. He glanced back, raising a questionable eyebrow in search of an answer. His blue eyes immediately found Yuna who met him instantly with a bemused smile, like she always did. Yet as per usual, it was Lulu that discouraged him from striking up a random conversation like he was used to doing. She met his searching eyes with her usual poisonous glare that bored into his skin with the ferocity of a sea of daggers. Unbeknown to the mage, Tidus had playfully given it a name: 'The Glare of Death'. Whenever he got it, he knew to watch his back, otherwise he'd have to survive without a head after she'd bitten it off.

Still, despite the fact the vicious Glare of Death was upon him, a terrible sensation suddenly came over the blitzer making him drop his dopey grin immediately in disgust, and compelling him to cry out loudly in surprise.

"Pheew! What the heck's that smell?" He bellowed waving his hand before his face as a hideous stench suddenly enveloped them, blocking out the fresh air. It was as if they'd somehow strayed blindly into a field of rotting corpses.

The summoner party declined to answer his question and carried on regardless, shielding their noses as best they could.

But Tidus had other plans. He held his nose tightly between two fingers and strayed off to the side of the road in search what was creating the rancid odour. He didn't have to go far before he came face to face with the maker of the vile stench.

Before him, rooted deep into the ground, was the strangest plant he'd ever seen. Its thick sinuous stem twisted upwards like a wrinkled lilac tree-trunk, making it stand out like a sore thumb amidst the shallow shrubbery. After rising only a short way, the wide base stalk opened out to form a strange bowl shape, surrounded by a ring of floppy pink petals. Staring with dizzy eyes, the blitzer saw that the weird basin was filled with a putrid yellow fluid that glimmered stagnantly as he looked at it. Like some kind of bizarre gastric juice it had melted the bodies of hundreds of flies that had been attracted to its horrifyingly bitter stench.

Tidus winced in disgust; he could almost taste the smell at such close proximity. He didn't know plants could smell this bad when they were dead…but this one was very much alive.

As he stared at it with watering eyes, the basin liquid suddenly seemed to move. Its flat surface trembled quickly; sending outward ripples as if some kind of quaking movement beneath had disturbed it. Tidus staggered backwards cautiously…but he was too late.

In a flash, a thick leaf-laced vine zipped out from above the juice basin and grasped hold of his ankle with monstrous ferocity. Tidus jumped back in surprise as the branch constricted tightly, reeling him in with voracious delight. He wriggled frenziedly to free himself, but the plant merely squeezed harder, almost cutting off the circulation to his foot.

With the frantic adrenaline pumping through his veins and faced with no other option, Tidus unsheathed his itching sword and brought it down upon the opposing limb forcefully. A loud scream of pain erupted from the hidden mouth of his adversary as the vine detached from leafy body, spraying putrid green blood all over the dry path.

As the limb hit the floor with a splattering squelch, Tidus skipped backward warily, sensing another attack. The plant retaliated instantly, but in a very different way to what he was expecting. To his complete amazement, his foe uprooted itself and lumbered after him on thick feet onto the road, its three remaining vines searching to squeeze his head from his shoulders.

Tidus dodged the clumsy blows for his face as the enraged plant-fiend flailed about on the spot maniacally. In its crazed frenzy, it managed to reach out and latch onto the defenceless summoner's arm and constrict about her tightly. Yuna cried out in alarm as the fiend wrenched her backwards making her staff fall from her clutches.

Quickly, before the others could react, Tidus darted to the hostile vine and slashed it off in a single strike near the base. Yuna was flung into a heap on the ground as the limb fell from the creature's body. The blitzer shifted her away just in time before a resounding blast of luminous blood sprayed from the open wound. The creature shuddered, spilling rot juice from its basin as it seethed with pained anger. It whipped its remaining two vines up to catch the blitzer off guard but it was too slow…

Skilfully, Tidus slipped under the creature, dodging the perilous blows, and aiming to cut it from its roots. The Brotherhood met the stem beneath the basin with a reverberating clang. It gouged a mighty hole in the roots of the plant, almost separating its entire body from them. The blood gushed from the wide lesion as the creature howled in perpetual rage, its surviving vines thrashing wildly underneath itself in frantic search for the blitzer. It had fallen into his trap.

Cleverly, Tidus rolled out from underneath and dashed behind, where the creature followed, wrapping its vines around itself. With a scream of torturous agony it pulled its tangled vines taut, completely slicing itself from it roots altogether and conforming to Tidus' plan.

The plant-fiend instantly toppled over backwards, spilling its acidic juices all over itself. In a flash its dead body transformed into a giant cloud of dancing resplendent lights before disappearing completely before their eyes.

"Wow!" Wakka breathed as a wide smile pulled at his face. "You sure showed him who was boss!" He laughed, ruffling Tidus' hair roughly.

The young blitzer grinned breathlessly and wiped his blade clean on the grass before replacing in its sheath.

"Trust you to be the only one to wake a sleeping Ochu." Auron sighed grimly, darkening the mood like he usually did.

"But…" Lulu intervened, before Tidus could argue with the warrior. "Yuna is safe and that's all that matters." She crouched down to help the unhurt summoner back to her feet.

Tidus blinked; was the mage actually sticking up for him on this one…?

Hearing Lulu's words, Auron turned his back on them and pressed onwards in huff, not willing to dispute further.

"I still can't get over it man!" Wakka cried excitedly, throwing his arm around Tidus' shoulder as they followed the aloof warrior. "Ochus: they're real dangerous at times…but you-- you kicked its butt!"

Tidus smiled with a lopsided grin at all the praise he was getting. "Hey wait…" He said suddenly, becoming serious. "Are they the reason why you guys were being so quiet back then?"

"Yes." Lulu replied gravely. "If the Ochus are woken their screams arouse the other fiends in the area."

"Oh…" Tidus sighed dipping his head tiredly. His heroic actions were going to come with a price…and they did.

No sooner had they left the battleground, the hungry fiends were upon them, slavering with deranged joy. Just like in Besaid, they summoner party were quickly assailed by packs of swift slobbering Dingoes, that snapped at their heels and hands with serrated bear-trap jaws. The magical fiends were soon to follow, and their jellified forms kept Lulu more than busy with her deadly incantations.

The battles were long and arduous, almost completely consuming their healthy supply of healing potions and testing Tidus patience to the limit. The steady assaults only lessened when the party reached the first of the many sweeping corners of the Moonflow road.

As the path straightened out again before them, Tidus saw that at either side the land rose up to form flat grassy hillsides, casting cool shadows down upon the oncoming road. But that wasn't the only thing he noticed…

At the very end of the long stretch, just before the next turn, were two gigantic figures. They were talking in heavy discussion with a smaller person, both standing with their broad arms akimbo. As the party advanced towards them, the blitzer was pained to discover their identity.

The towering strangers were of ronso origin, one sable, the other light blue: Biran and Yenke no less. A warning pang struck at Tidus intrinsically: if the two ronso were to meet Kimahri for a second time it could get rather messy. He looked back to gaze on his ronso companion's face; Kimahri continued to walk behind him solidly with slow pounding footsteps. His keen yellow eyes had allowed him to spot his adversaries far earlier than any of the group. Another confrontation with them didn't seem to faze him at all… but then again nothing usually did.

Tidus looked back to the ronso with bated breath, he wondered what they plotting with the strange short man that lingered in between them. As they got closer, the blitzer could see the contemptuous ronso eyeing the man suspiciously as he rambled on to them seemingly desperate in his plight. It was only when the summoner party had reached them that the man turned heel and fled further down the road at a surprisingly wild pace.

"Look!" Biran cackled loudly with narrowing eyes, knowing the party was in earshot. "It's one of Kimahri's friends!" He cried staring at the small man as he fled. "Looks just like him!"

"_What_?" Tidus exclaimed disconcerted; the man bore no resemblance whatsoever to Yuna's ronso guardian.

The two ronso turned to face the blitzer with slavering derision.

"Both follow summoners on all fours." Biran jeered, making the mocking comparison clear. "Hornless goatlings!" He sneered, running his gigantic hand up the majority of the proud horn upon his head.

"Hornless! Hornless!" Yenke joined in laughing and clapping like a trained seal.

Kimahri stepped forwards to meet them with cool apathy. "You come to insult Kimahri?"

"Wrong!" Biran sung darkly, leaning down to take the smaller ronso's gaze. "We come to warn little Kimahri."

"Summoners disappear. Never return." Yenke cried.

Tidus flinched; so _that_ was what the man was telling them before…the same thing that Maroda had told him in Djose, the same thing he'd almost forgotten about.

Biran's eyes suddenly flashed in a demented hue as they took hold of the innocent Yuna. "Next will be Kimahri's summoner." He hissed as a spacious grin curled over his lips.

Kimahri didn't move a muscle, nor did he strive to respond.

"Poor Kimahri!" Yenke hollered menacingly with a giggle. "Lost his horn, next lose his summoner!"

"Pitiful Kimahri! Howl alone! Howl alone!" The malicious Biran scoffed with a ridiculing laugh.

The pair of them, satisfied with their mischief, turned away and dashed off in the direction the running man had taken, guffawing scornfully like a pair of donkeys.

"Do those two… got something against you?" Tidus quizzed, looking up at his ronso companion.

Kimahri remained firm and shook his head slowly as his assailants disappeared around the corner in the near distance.

Tidus screwed his face up at Kimahri's silent response. "What, they were just picking on you?"

"Kimahri will deal with them." The ronso confirmed.

"And _I'll_ help!" The blitzer enthused darkly placing his hands on his hips.

"Kimahri alone."

"But…" Tidus stammered adamantly at the ronso's refusal.

"It's Kimahri's problem." Wakka intervened. "We can't interfere; it's a rule!"  
Now where had Tidus heard _that_ before…?

"I'm worried… " Lulu admitted, fidgeting with her long sleeves nervously.

"Let the ronso deal with ronso problems, ya?" Wakka assured. "That's how it's always been."

The mage met him with a searching glance, the hardness over her crimson gaze somewhat softened, more so than usual. "I mean I'm worried about those summoners disappearing." She corrected with deep thought.

"They aren't just disappearing into thin air…" Auron stated earnestly.

The group took his suspicions to heart and fell into deep contemplation as the answer to their questions eluded their minds. Tidus watched as even the summoner bowed her head in grave thought; he could tell that even she too was worried.

"Hey!" He cried suddenly, aiming to remedy their mood. "If we guardians do our job… no problem, right?" He said boldly.

Yuna looked up to address the statement with a surprised smile.

"Whoa!" Wakka exclaimed, his eyes shooting up to his hairline.

"Confident." Lulu mused, backing the islander up with a cynical eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Tidus agreed with a positive nod; no one was going to take Yuna while he was around. But he couldn't help feeling that meeting Biran and Yenke again was a bad omen, the last time he was in their company was the last time Yuna went missing…

Strangely alleviated by Tidus' brash words of confidence, the party pressed onwards in the same direction the two impudent ronso had taken. It wasn't long however, before the company was plunged back into the shade once again as the over-shadowing hills at either side of the road made way for long avenues of leaf-covered trees. Forgetting all his cause for concern, Tidus stared up in wonder at the thick green boughs as the blinding sunlight escaped through gaps in the canopy. Meeting the dry ground beneath his feet, the absconding rays of light danced lightly upon its surface; mirroring the shapes of the green leaves above.

It was then that something glittered brightly in between the dense trunks of the trees, taking hold of the blitzer attention. He squinted through the forest to vaguely make out a glimmering body of water that lay in the sunlight behind the trees. It twinkled in magical effervescence, teasing his eyes as it hid shyly from his full vision.

Enchanted by his sudden discovery, Tidus held his gaze fixed upon it until it was completely blocked from him by the obstructing trees. Only after a short way did the woodland open out into a wide clearing, completely void of trees. Nothing could've prepared the blitzer for what he saw there.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed excitedly, as he witnessed the entire magnitude of that which he thought had been taken from his gaze.

Before him, the land came to a dramatic halt. Stretching far from its edge was the strangest most enchanting stretch of water he'd ever seen. Sparkling with captivating magnificence, it reached in silver splendour all the way to the other side of the far land on the distant horizon, surpassing anything he'd ever seen. Its radiant hue dazzled his eyes as he scanned its serene surface; a pure picture of divine repose if there ever was one.

Looking closer, he perceived the rounded Lilly-pads that scattered its near superficies, their exquisite colour enticing long beaded dragonflies to rest upon them, humming in subdued contentment. Their resplendent wings flickered magically, sending courses of blinding light towards the blitzer's eyes. Dispersed in between the winged insects, grew small quaint water flowers, their trumpets coloured an airy lilac.

"This is the Moonflow." Lulu voiced quietly, as she came to a halt by Tidus' side.

Nodding in deep fascination, he shielded his eyes with his gloved hand to get a better look. Small lights rose from the water as he did so, lights that glimmered and twinkled in kaleidoscopic grandeur; lights that purred gently in a soothing frequency as they moved.

Yuna crouched down by the edge of the bank and passed her open hand over the charming flowers as their petals danced in the breeze. "These are Moonlillies!" she explained.

Tidus wandered over to her side and leant down to see them closely; as he did so he could smell their sweet enthralling scent.

"They say that clouds of pyreflies gather here… when night falls." Yuna continued, hugging her knees loosely.

"Pyreflies?" He quizzed.

"Pyreflies are the lights you see when a fiend or even a person dies. Some say that they are the living souls of the dead." Lulu confirmed calmly, the crimson in her volatile stare growing strangely sedate. "They reside sometimes in Spira's water ways… instead of passing on to the Farplane. At night, the entire river here is said to glow like a sea of stars."

"Really…?" Tidus whispered pensively as the recollection of the magical lights flashed though his mind. "Hey!" He cried suddenly rising to his feet. "I got an idea!"

"We're not waiting till nightfall." Auron stated firmly, foiling the blitzer's plan.

Tidus made a quiet noise of disappointment, letting his head sag down onto his chest. But his fading grin widened, the temptation of the experience was too much. "Then, once we beat Sin, we're coming back!" he announced energetically throwing his arm up into the air and casting his eyes back onto the elegant river.

Unbeknown to him, his companions didn't share the same enthusiasm. A heavy silence imbued the atmosphere, as they stared in numbly with glazed eyes; their faces whitened, drained of all colour. At that very moment time seemed to stand still.

It was only when the rising lilac petals of a Moonlilly, passed by the summoner's anaesthetised expression, knocking her from her thoughts that the party regained their cognisance.

"Hey, we'd better hurry of we'll miss the shoopuf!" Wakka affirmed, perking up.

"Shoopuf?" Tidus inquired, turning to meet the islander with a bewildered expression. "That some kind of boat?"

Wakka snickered with a shake of his head and pointed down the road to the left.

Tidus turned to look down in the direction his companion was signalling to. The road before him continued only a short way before a strange structure rose up from it. It was a flat plateau forged of light stone, upon it was a weird crane-like mechanism bearing a giant basket.

But it wasn't the construction that made Tidus' jaw drop to the floor with a thud. Slowly but surely the ground began to shake as something heavy pounded down upon its arid surface. Letting Wakka lead the way, Tidus followed to get a closer look of the gigantic shape that suddenly came into view before his astonished eyes.

Lumbering sluggishly before him on four long thick legs was a monstrously huge creature of massive proportions.

"Whoa! What the… whoa!" He cried.

Wakka beamed in amused delight. "_This_ is a Shoopuf!"

Walking with flat feet stomped down on the road heavily; shaking the ground with every step as it tramped past. A short thick tail it had, looking almost like a weird flappy fin than anything else. In major comparison to the stubby limb was the placid beast's long tubular nose. The animal held it in a rounded coil beneath its black beady eyes, looking quite comical to say the least. But the feature that stunned the blitzer most of all was the sheer size of the stout creature's body. Covered in a course grey- bluish hide, the shoopuf rose to at least twenty feet tall. Tidus as sure he'd get as crick in his neck from gawking up at it for so long. Even as he did stare, he managed to make out a large box shape fixed onto the animal's back: it was more than obvious that his was where they were meant to sit.

Excited by the prospect of riding the mighty beast across the river, Tidus felt obliged to yell wildly in excitement. "Whoa…let's ride! C'mon, let's go!" he enthused.

"Easy there." Wakka cried with a laugh, calming him. "Look's like the old boy's not ready yet."

Tidus glanced over to observe as the giant Shoopuf traipsed over to the water's edge in the near distance. Unfurling its long nose, it plunged it into the deep river, using it as a suction hose for its mouth.

The blitzer sighed intrinsically with impatience, he didn't suppose that it would be easy to tell a shoopuf what to do judging by its size. He'd just have to wait… something he wasn't good at.

In the meantime, Wakka and Lulu wandered off in search of roadside merchants that would replenish their potion supply. Auron departed from Tidus' company also; he strode over to where the shoopuf platform was in the distance and waited by the stairs, playing Mr. Sentinel again. Yuna and Kimahri walked back slightly and waited by a wide bench entitled 'Shoopuf'.

Tidus followed them raggedly and plonked himself down next to where the summoner was seated, twiddling his thumbs spontaneously.

"Shoopufs!" Yuna voiced suddenly as she leaned forward to get a better look of the drinking creature. "I haven't ridden one for so long!"

"What? You've been on one of these?" Tidus queried in surprise.

The summoner met him with a sweet sincere smile. "Well…just once." She said, brushing her brunette locks out of her eyes. "Ten years ago, with Kimahri." Her adoring gaze passed up to her ronso guardian. "Remember?"

Unusually Kimahri joined in the conversation with a serene growling tone. "Shoopuf shook. Yuna fall in water." He stated remembering their previous crossing of the Moonflow well. "Shoopuf scoop up Yuna with long nose. Yuna jump in three more times for fun… Kimahri worried." A flash of concern flickered over his yellow eyes, as his recollection of anxiety at the time haunted him.

"Whoops…" Yuna returned with a nervous grin.

The ronso shook his head leniently. "Yuna had fun. Kimahri happy."

Yuna laughed merrily at her guardian's statement, before turning back to the blitzer. "I lived in the city of Bevelle until ten years ago." She explained. "I moved to Besaid after my father defeated Sin. Kimahri was with me the whole way!"

"Bevelle?" Tidus quizzed, he'd never heard the name before.

"It's the biggest city in Spira!" Yuna enthused, her dual eyes lighting up with delight. "The main temple of Yevon is there."

Tidus nodded deeply, wondering what this city looked like. Going by what the people of Spira were like he doubted heavily that it resembled Zanarkand in any way. As he pondered over the issue thoughtfully, his azure eyes strayed over to the distant shoopuf stand. He felt Auron's dark eyes probe him from afar from behind the lenses of his shaded glasses.

Stating that he was going to see what the grouch wanted, Tidus left the summoner and her ronso guardian to their own devices. He'd not got far before a strong warm hand grasped his arm firmly.

Swivelling around suspiciously, Tidus found that the ronso had followed him: presumably out of earshot of Yuna.

"Biran is troublemaker." Kimahri said deeply. "But Ronso do not lie. Summoners disappearing--that was no lie."

Tidus addressed his companion's firm gaze with a solid nod. "Right, I'll be careful." He replied, not wanting to displease his daunting friend.

The ronso departed from him quickly and back to Yuna without another word, leaving Tidus to inquire just what Auron wanted. But even before he could open his mouth to speak, the warrior beat him to it.

"Don't let the peaceful scenery fool you." He warned. "Be on guard at all times."

Tidus corresponded with a cheeky salute to mask his seriousness. "Yes, sir!"

Auron frowned grimly in reply to the piss-take, but recovered shortly thereafter. "Ten years ago..." he said distantly, unusually sharing a slice of his past with the blitzer.

"Ugh, a history lesson?" Tidus groaned tiredly, shunning the statement.

"Jecht saw his first shoopuf here." Auron said carrying on regardless, he knew the blitzer would pay attention once his father's name was mentioned: and he did. "Surprised, Jecht drew his blade and struck it." The warrior continued.

"W-Why?" Tidus quizzed in alarm, straightening up.

"He was drunk… Thought it was a fiend."

Tidus cowered in abysmal comprehension. "Oh, brother…" he sighed, rolling his eyes darkly. Thinking on, he realised that attacking a shoopuf was a typical stupid Jecht thing to do.

"We offered all the money we had as an apology." Auron said. "Jecht never drank again… But, it would seem that shoopuf still works here." He concluded letting his eyes fall onto the gigantic creature.

Tidus observed the beast closely, and sure enough there it was, a long gouging scar above its right flank where the blade had entered.

"Alright! You ready to ride, ya?"

The blonde turned to catch Wakka and Lulu returning with fresh supplies.

"Riding the shoopuf isn't _that _much fun." The mage sighed, disapproving of Wakka's childish enthusiasm.

"How little you know!" The islander argued lightly in surprise. "Some things little boys never grow out of!"

"Right?" He and Tidus cried in unison like a couple of excited kids.

Lulu exhaled heavily and advanced up the steps to the shoopuf plateau. The others followed her shortly as the monstrous shoopuf backed up, much to the delight of the two blitzers. In a moment, the entire summoner party was lifted via crane onto the seating box upon the shoopuf's back. Inside it, were four wall-lining benches covered over with soft cushioned cloth. Yuna was placed facing backward on her own at the far side of the box immediately. Around her, her guardians seated themselves, leaving only Tidus to sit alone opposite the summoner.

As soon as the driver straddled the wide saddle over the animal's head, it was time for off. Slowly but surely, the shoopuf lumbered towards the bank of the river. Tidus was initially surprised by how smoothly the beast walked on land, being noisy but delicate in its footing. As it stepped down into the water, submerging the entirety of its body save its head and the box, the ride grew even smoother. Shoopufs surprisingly were extremely graceful swimmers.

"Hey." Wakka called, grasping Tidus failing attention as he relaxed with his arms pressed behind his head. "Take a look."

"What?" Tidus rose to his feet and leant over the side curiously where the islander had signalled to. "Whoa!" He cried out suddenly in surprise, almost toppling over the edge as the crumbling ruins beneath rippling water met his eyes. "A sunken city!"

"A machina city--a thousand years old!" Wakka corrected, relishing in the historical factor. "They built the city on top of bridges across the river."

Tidus observed in fascination as schools of yellow fish swam in and out of the decaying windows and through the mighty hollow buildings; now coloured brown and growing stagnant under the pressure of the water.

"But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse and it all sank to the bottom." Lulu added.

"Right." Wakka agreed. "It's a good lesson."

"A lesson?" Tidus questioned perplexed.

"Yeah. Why build a city over a river, ya?" The islander quizzed.

"Uh… Well it would be convenient with all that water there."

"Nope, that's not why." Wakka retorted screwing his face up. "They just wanted to prove they could defy the laws of nature." He proclaimed with harsh obstinacy.

Hmmm?" The young blitzer scratched his head. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Yevon has taught us: When humans have power, they seek to use it." Wakka responded like a trained baboon chanting a mantra. "If you don't stop them they go too far, ya?"

"Yeah, but don't you use machina, too?" Tidus quizzed, recalling the strict ban on machina. "You know, like the stadium and stuff, right?" There Wakka was stating the divine teachings, when the whole of Luca had broken the rules already by using the machina forged blitzball stadium; it didn't make sense…

"Yevon: it decides..." Lulu explained calmly, "which machina we may use and which we may not.

"So, what kind of machina may we not use, then?" Tidus said, correcting himself.

"Remember Operation Mi'ihen?" Wakka entreated raising his eyebrows. "That kind."

"Or war will rage again…" The black mage intervened darkly.

Tidus stared at her in softened disbelief. "War?"

"More than a thousand years ago…" Yuna explained morosely. "Mankind waged war using machina to kill."

"They kept building more and more powerful machina!" The islander said, shaking his head.

"They made weapons so powerful… it was thought they could destroy the entire world." Lulu confirmed folding her arms as an uncomfortable chill passed over her.

"The people feared that Spira would be destroyed." Yuna said taking over.

"But the war did not stop!" Wakka interrupted passionately.

"W-What happened then?" Tidus questioned, rubbing the Goosebumps from his arms briskly.

Yuna's gaze travelled to the floor as an air of despondency took hold of her. "Sin came and it destroyed the cities and their machina."

"The war ended…" Lulu said, taking control once more, "and our reward… was Sin."

"So, Sin's our punishment for letting things get outta hand, eh?" Wakka confirmed winding his finger about near his temple.

"Man, that's rough…" Tidus stated.

Wakka sighed. "Yeah, it is."

"But it's not like the machina are bad." The young blitzer disputed.

"Only as bad as their users…" Lulu established.

"It all because of people like the Al Bhed screwin' everything up!" Wakka growled angrily.

Tidus shot Yuna a sympathetic smile… she was Al Bhed after all, not that Wakka knew…

Suddenly from deep beneath them, a cataclysmic blast transpired almost launching the shoopuf up out of the water. The summoner and her guardians were instantly flung from their seats onto the cold wooden floor as the ongoing commotion underneath them sent the placid shoopuf into frenzied hysteria. Trumpeting frantically with its long drainpipe nose, the worried beast shook from side to side consumed by downright fear.

Fuelled with suspicion, the guardians rose to their feet and cast their wary eyes down into rippling depths. Whatever had caused the commotion, must've been huge…

Yuna: now plagued with anxiety, sought to aid her protectors as she rose up to peer over the side with them, clutching her staff tightly.

"Sit down!" Auron commanded, perceiving her as she strove to join their plight.

"Sorry!" she cried apologetically: but it was too late.

As she backed away to her seat, a tall figure sprang out of the water behind her. Leaping into the box with skilled agility, the man seized the summoner roughly, stifling her screams with his hand.

It took Tidus a matter of split seconds to recognise the perpetrator's garb; he knew those strange clothes and goggles anywhere-

"AL BHED!" Wakka screamed with perpetual rage, diving towards the man ferociously.

But, the Al Bhed was too quick for the islander. Before Wakka could even reach him, the man leapt back into the water, taking the defenceless summoner down with him.

Tidus instantly gave chase, diving down without hesitation into the ruin-filled Moonflow. The redhead was soon to follow, fuelled with raging anger. Neither Auron, Lulu or Kimahri had the ability to join them; it was all up to the blitzers to save Yuna.

But what met them when they reached the deep riverbed took the two players by complete surprise. Laying in wait at the very bottom was the cause of the disturbance: a machina.

But this wasn't just any old machina; it was water bound, one of a kind. Its vast rounded body hovered before the blitzers menacingly, chugging and whirring as its huge lower propeller created a rapid whirlpool beneath it. Attached to the very front were two long volatile arms, each adorned with huge grasping pincers, perfect for squeezing the life out of interfering guardians. There was no doubt that there was an Al Bhed behind the wheel of this hog.

Above the daunting limbs on the very roof of the mechanical beast was a strange orb surrounded by several long green flags, that floated hauntingly as the movement of the water took them. But it was the content of the glimmering orb that gained the blitzers' attention, more than anything else, Yuna.

Somehow, the Al Bhed had sealed the summoner within resplendent sphere, which was protected by a strange magical field powered by the machina. To even approach it could prove fatal. The machina would have to be completely destroyed in order for the orb to vanish: something that was easier said than done.

Unable to contain his wrath any longer, Wakka was the first to strike. He flung his blitzball with as much strength as he could muster at the frontal face of the machina. Seemingly reluctant to retaliate, the contraption let the ball ricochet violently off its front panel sending it crashing backwards into a festering ruin wall. Smashing the obstruction behind it to smithereens, the machina lay in a daze as its driver tried to recover from the brutal blow.

Tidus took this as the perfect opportunity to attack. Speeding straight for the stunned machine, he let his blade crash down upon the base of one of its flailing limbs. To his complete and utter surprise, the arm detached from the body with the greatest of ease and hit the lower river bed with a thud.

Tidus blinked in surprise quite unable to believe he'd dismembered the device so easily. Powered by the thirst for revenge, the spherical contraption lunged for the blonde rapidly missing by just inches as Tidus dipped beneath it, slicing a deep gouge in it as he did so. With one arm gone and the other badly damaged, the machina seemed to hesitate, backing away ever so slightly, Tidus wondered if it was preparing another attack, but Wakka was having none of it.

He raced over to Tidus' position and thrust his arm into the machina's empty limb socket recklessly. Fumbling around inside madly, his hand found a cluster of thick cables that ran in a knotted formation within. Wrenching on them with all his might, he managed to rip the weaker of the bunch out bathing himself in a shower of sparks.

Aware as to what the islander was doing, the machina reached over to swat him with its remaining arm like an annoying fly that pestered it incessantly. The blow was accurate and Wakka was clubbed on the back of the head roughly, resulting in only increasing his overflowing anger.

Fuming with smoke rising from his ears, Wakka leapt upon the machina's front side like a pouncing grizzly, winding himself and obstructing the driver's vision at the same time. The device reeled and jittered uncontrollably in a blind panic, desperate to rid itself of the obsessive redhead that clung to it.

Using Wakka's distraction to his advantage, Tidus quickly sought for a means of destroying the machine altogether. He remembered Lulu's words to him in Luca… machina's main weaknesses were lightning… or electricity. Unlucky for him, neither was at his disposal.

Cursing in frustration, the young blitzer swung his blade under kaleidoscopic sphere that restrained imprisoning the summoner in a vain attempt to free her. As the link between the orb and the machina was damaged something peculiar occurred.

The energy powering the sphere prison somehow backfired and transferred back to the machina, overloading it. The contraption suddenly quaked violently under the strain of the power almost bursting as it malfunctioned. Almost completely drained of energy, the orb vanished releasing the summoner abruptly.

But all was not well. The machina wouldn't be able to cope with the pressure. It was like time-bomb, ready to explode. Releasing his clutches upon it frantically, Wakka scooped Yuna in his arms, and sped for the surface with Tidus hot on his heels.

Within seconds of them departing, the struggling machina exploded in a blinding flash of searing light, scattering shards of razor sharp metal all over the river bed and scaring the shoopuf above out of its wits.

"Are you hurt?" Lulu cried anxiously, as the wet summoner was guided back to her seat in the riding box. They'd all heard the blast from below and seeing the gigantic bubbles rise on the surface of the river had only made them fear for the worst.

"No, I'm fine." Yuna breathed, shaking her head as her wet hair drizzled about her shoulders.

No sooner had she spoken, Tidus slowly clambered back on board, soaked to the skin like she was. A deep sigh of relief escaped him as he perceived she'd got out of it unscathed.

"Grrah! Those Al Bhed!" Wakka shrieked punching his palm and slamming himself down onto his bench with a wet squelch.

"Is… everybody okay?" The shoopuf driver called back anxiously, hearing the hubbub.

"I'm sorry!" The summoner cried, leaping to her feet. "We're all okay now!"

"Yuna!" Auron warned sternly for the second time.

With a contrite gasp, she sat down almost immediately, clasping her hands together on her lap as her gaze fixed wretchedly to the floor.

"Damn the Al Bhed!" Wakka babbled to himself in frustration as the shoopuf continued to carry them merrily in its way. "What do they want with us? Could it have something to do with Luca? What are they after Yuna for…?" The islander grew strangely silent as he pondered over the issue. "Wait!" He cried suddenly, "they're mad they lost the tournament! …NO, WAIT! They're mad about Operation Mi'ihen!"

"I wonder…" Lulu interrupted his maundering quietly. "Didn't Kimahri's clansman say something… about summoners… disappearing?"

"Ah! So the Al Bhed are behind that!" Wakka yelled getting overly choleric with his animosity. "Those sand-blasted grease monkeys!" His lips curled downwards in disgust as his decision was finalised.

The company grew gravely quiet as an air thick with despondency took hold of them. All of them contemplated quietly the reasons behind the Al Bhed's resolve, all of them had been touched in some way by Wakka's wrathful words; especially Yuna.

Tidus glimpsed as she sat across from him, the smile now absent from pink lips; the smile she always had was gone...

"Hey Wakka." Tidus said suddenly, gaining the group's awareness as he slipped down his seat casually. "It's no use complaining about the Al Bhed now, right? We'll protect Yuna from anyone, anywhere." He stated, sitting up. "It's that easy. That's all I need to know!"

The islander sat back pensively with a bewildered expression. "Well… I guess so."

"You're right." Lulu agreed.

Yuna looked up to meet the blitzer with a sparkling glance. A slow smile seeped over her gratified face as his conciliating words reached her: his goal was achieved.

She mimed a silent "Thank you" across to him as a demure expression took over her face.

It wasn't long before the shoopuf reached the north bank of the Moonflow. Word of the attack on the young summoner had already spread like wild fire amongst the people waiting on there. As soon as the group were lowered down by an identical crane to before, a heaving crowd surrounded Yuna with anxious questions about the blonde-haired devils, the green-eyed wraiths: Al Bhed.

"Heh, looks like we won't be going anywhere for a while." Wakka laughed nudging the blitzer as the masses consumed them.

Tidus however didn't share his companion's cheer. Feeling overly claustrophobic amongst the concourse, he squeezed his way free and went to explore his new whereabouts, but that wasn't before Wakka gave him instructions:

"Might be more Al Bhed!" The islander hissed, his dark eyes darting about the place like a hungry vulture. "Keep watch, ya?"

Tidus nodded briefly with a weary sigh, and strolling past the identical shoopuf stand, he took the only road that opened out to him, the one that facing west. Lined with tall trees on one side and the beautiful Moonflow on the other, the path spanned only a short way before turning once more across a small bridge heading north. It was never Tidus' intention to even reach the end of the west road, but something collapsed in heap upon the water's edge there increased his curiosity ten-fold coaxing him to move onwards for a better look.

Creeping over with caution, the blitzer saw that the figure, small in stature, wore a tight female wetsuit coloured scarlet and cream, along with a thick framed helmet: Al Bhed gear.

"You're… not _dead_?" Tidus inquired, screwing his face up with befuddlement.

Suddenly the still figure sprang up to her feet energetically making the startled Tidus jump back in shock. Reaching over, the Al Bhed slowly unhooked the two thick buckles behind her shoulders, letting the green pads upon them drop to the floor. The blitzer gawked sheepishly; he didn't know where to look.

Ignoring his reaction, the Al Bhed commenced unzipping her wetsuit. As it rolled down her body, Tidus was relieved to see that on her upper half she wore a sleeveless orange top, comprised of thick leather. Beneath it followed a small pair of green frilly shorts. The whole ensemble was finished off with a tall pair of knee high boots: typically Al Bhed in style.

Finally, she reached for the helmet. Lifting its frame, she hoisted it quickly off her head, revealing her small face to him.

"Ah!" she sighed, letting her headgear drop to the floor with a relieved smile, "thought I was done for, back there!"

Tidus stared in frozen disbelief; he instantly recognised the chirpy voice… and the golden hair.

"Rikku!" The blitzer cried with enlivened surprise. "You're Rikku!… Hey! You're okay! How ya been?" He exclaimed rapidly.

The Al Bhed flopped over to lean on her knees like a ragdoll. "Terrible!" She moaned shaking her head tiredly.

"Yeah, you don't look so good." Tidus agreed sympathetically bending down to see her face. "What happened?"

Rikku straightened up suddenly with surprising vigour. "_You_ beat me up! Remember?" A flash of annoyance passed over her jade eyes as she poked an accusing finger in his face, almost knocking him over backwards.

"Huh…?" Tidus pondered momentarily before the answer struck him. "Oh! You mean that machina… That was _you_?"

"Uh-huh." Rikku nodded sincerely. "That really hurt you know. You big meanie!" she whined rubbing her head in a childish manner as she recalled how he'd made the underwater contraption explode.

"W-wait!" He cried defensively. "But you attacked _us_!"

"Nuh-uh." The Al Bhed disputed shaking her head vigorously. "It's not exactly what you think." She placed her hands on her hips with a beguiling pout.

"Yo!" A loud voice suddenly called down to them, cutting the conversation short.

The pair looked down the road to see Wakka approaching, shortly followed by the rest of the summoner party. They'd escaped from the people way quicker than Tidus expected.

"Friend of yours?" The islander quizzed staring at Rikku curiously as he halted by Tidus' side.

"Uh, you could say that." The young blitzer replied rubbing the back of his head hesitantly.

Before he could say another word the sprightly Al Bhed butted in. "Pleased to meet ya! I'm Rikku!" she cried bounding about on the spot energetically.

"Yuna, Lulu… I told you about her, remember?" Tidus explained looking back to his inquisitive companions. "She was the one who helped me before I was washed up on Besaid! She's an Al Bhe… bhe…" His words faded into a concourse of nervous giggles as he covered up the near mishap. He was of course in the close company of the number one Al Bhed hater: Wakka.

Yuna and Lulu however picked up on the fatal slip of the tongue and gasped silently… an eruption of catastrophic proportions was imminent.

"Wow, so you like owe her your life!" Wakka enthused to everyone's astonishment. He was completely oblivious to what Tidus had almost said. "What luck meeting here, ya? Praise be to Yevon!"

Rikku smirked in disbelief as the islander blessed the both of them with the words of the religion that her race renounced.

"So, uh… Rikku…" Wakka began as the expression fell from the Al Bhed's face. "You look a little beat up!" He said looking closely at her. "You okay?"

"Uh, Wakka…." Lulu interrupted halting the islander abruptly.

"Huh? What?" He asked slightly baffled.

"There's something _we _need to discuss." Yuna affirmed.

"Oh, go ahead." He said patiently, not understanding.

Rikku dashed over to her female counterparts with a sceptical eye. "Girls only!" she exclaimed. "Boys please wait over there!"

"Right. Sorry Wakka." Lulu stated.

Wakka folded his arms indignantly like a baby at being kicked out of their conversation.

Tidus on the other hand watched in slight bewilderment as the three ladies wandered off some way and began a chatty discussion, with Rikku being the chief divulger; it was weird as she spoke to the both of them especially Yuna as if she'd known them all her life. He only knew what exactly they'd been talking about when the summoner suddenly approached Auron with a surprising request.

"Sir Auron…" She began solemnly. "I would like Rikku… to be my guardian."

Taking heed of Yuna's desire, the sombre warrior approached the young Al Bhed.

Rikku fidgeted nervously under his dark penetrating gaze, letting her eyes plummet down to the floor as she rolled her the toe of her boot on the dry road.

"Show me your face." Auron said quietly.

Rikku jumped slightly, her cheeks turning rosy as she stared down to the ground.

"Look at me." The warrior persisted softly.

"Oh, okay." She breathed anxiously. Slowly but surely she raised her small face so her could look upon it, keeping her eyes shut.

"Open your eyes." He continued.

Apprehensively, she let one eye open to peep at him.

Auron gazed at the green iris closely. His eyes followed the pupil as it spiralled in clockwise direction: the Al Bhed trait, one that they all shared along with their golden hair. "As I thought." He murmured.

"Um… No good?" She mumbled quietly clasping her hands in front of her whilst she swayed nervously on the spot.

"Are you certain?" The warrior inquired, showing an unusual gentle side to his nature.

"A hundred percent!" Rikku stated brightly." "So anyway…Can I?"

"If Yuna wishes it." Auron said, looking to the summoner.

A wide smile spread across Yuna's face as he did so. "Yes, I do."

Upon hearing the summoner's answer, Wakka folded his arms stubbornly. "Hmph!" He out of all of them didn't welcome outsiders, he already thought there was enough of them as it was.

"Rikku's a good girl." Tidus affirmed endeavouring to change the islander's view. "She helped me a bunch!"

"Uh-huh." The Al Bhed nodded cheerfully

Wakka grumbled a while before realising he was alone on the matter. "Well, I'm for it!" He said eventually. "The more, the merrier!"

"Right-o! Then I'll just have to be the merriest!" Rikku cried enthusiastically. She bounded towards the summoner like a spring lamb and commenced doing a crazy jig that she concocted on the spur of the moment.

Tidus observed as Wakka watched her dancing around with an amused smile.

_"It was strange.  
__Even though Wakka had always hated the Al Bhed…  
He never realised Rikku was one of them."_

To be continued…

_AN: Howdy folks!._

_Why is it that when I come to one of my favourite parts of the game, I get terrible writer's block? This week has been hell writing this chapter, I'm paranoid and frustrated with the way it's turned out, but since it's now 12 midnight, I don't think I'll have time to go over it again._

_Anyway moving on…_

_I did change a teensy-weensy bit of dialogue here and there and added a few bits along the way in this chappie. I left out the Hypello too… their presence in the game doesn't change or shape the story in any way so it seemed pointless to include them. I also left out the meeting with Lucil, Elma and Clasko; I found it quite annoying that we were seeing them at every location, the same goes for Shelinda, so I'm afraid they weren't included either. (I know, I know it's the sequence where the Chocobo Knights want to put the chocobo on the shoopuf but I couldn't fit it in!) I'm sure I'll be able to fit them in, in the Macalania woods though._

_Stay tuned for the chappie 14. We're going to Guadosalam!  
Cya!_

_Vogue Star_

_Ps Don't forget to review me peeps!_


	14. Guadosalam

_Thankies to…**deserthermit**! Yeah, I am pretty pro at this game, and ffx-2 the sequel, too. If u get stuck with anything just give me a shout and I'll help you out! Anyway thanks for your review!_

_Hey, speaking of reviews: where's everyone gone?_

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own ffx/ffx-2 or the characters in them!_

Chapter 14: Guadosalam.

Not willing to delay any longer, the inimitable summoner party continued on their way, taking the northern facing path to their next destination. As they roamed freely down its dry bumpy surface, Tidus couldn't help get the feeling that the group's mood had slightly changed since Rikku had joined them. Everyone, even grumpy old Auron, seemed quietly contented now that the spirited Al Bhed was around.

But this didn't stop Tidus from wondering about her. He observed closely from the distance as she strutted boldly at the head of the group; her arms stretched loosely behind her head as her relaxed manner took hold. She chattered constantly with Yuna, almost talking the summoner's ear off at times: which Tidus found slightly strange as she'd only known her five minutes… but then again, that was Rikku…

He did think it was odd however that his companions, especially Yuna, had accepted the Al Bhed without question, and almost immediately. They bore no suspicion towards her whatsoever: not that Rikku wasn't a _nice_ person.

But would a _nice_ person try to kidnap Yuna with her Al Bhed kinsmen…?

Tidus was still wary over what the exact reason was for the underwater attack with the machina: Rikku wasn't telling him everything, he could sense it. But she would never do anything to harm anyone, Tidus knew that for a fact; somehow, he discerned that her performance prior to meeting the group came with good reason…

And anyway, she'd come in handy along the way with that wide leather grenade belt of hers. It was only when he'd cast his sights onto the extensive article, laden with explosives, that something else called out for his attention, glimmering coldly as she began swinging her arms about in a carefree manner.

Stretched around the entirety of the knuckles on her right hand was a formidable weapon. It consisted of a strange burnished metal that glimmered dazzlingly in the late sunlight; its jagged pewter surface looked painfully sharp. Tidus figured that if she were to punch someone in the stomach with that thing it would do more than just scratch their belly.

It was then that the Al Bhed suddenly ceased her light-hearted ostentation and let her jade eyes probe the vast sky above. "Gee, looks like it's gonna rain." She said anxiously, clamping her hands on top of her head.

The rest of the group adhered to her statement and gazed up into the heavens questionably.

She was right. In the time it had taken them to walk from the small bridge to their current location, the incoming clouds had closed up tightly over the pale waning sun, their colour darkening with the despondency of advancing rain. The heavy dismal smell of it hung in the air; it wouldn't be long before the heavens opened.

Responding instantaneously to the sudden bad forecast, Tidus scampered to the front of the group hurriedly in fear of the watery onslaught: if there was one thing he hated equally alongside Jecht, it was rain.

"Where are we going, anyway?" He asked, aiming his question towards Yuna, who wandered beside him demurely, now that he'd casually slipped in between her and Rikku, barring any further chatting from the lively Al Bhed.

Before the summoner could even open her mouth to answer, Lulu interrupted, armed as usual with her icy cold temperament. "We're _going_ to Guadosalam. I've told you this once before." She said bluntly.

"Jeez, grumpy!" Tidus retorted rolling his blue eyes cheerfully, making the summoner at his side giggle quietly at his antics. "What is this _Guadosalam_, then?" He said correcting himself with a grin.

"Guadosalam is the home of the Guado." Yuna explained, taking over lightly.

Tidus' arms dropped down to his sides. "Guado… Guado…" He murmured rubbing his chin as he tried to recall the name.

Yuna laughed at his bewildered expression knowing what was coming next. "The Guado are a race of people that follow Yevon like we do." She said, halting his next question with a smile.

"Oh…" The blitzer nodded controlling his grin, she could read him like a book.

The summoner paused momentarily to sweep the brown hair out of her eyes. "Guadosalam is also the home of Maester Seymour. He's the leader of the Guado."

Nothing could've changed Tidus' mood quicker. Had he not been in Yuna's company he would've voiced his annoyance out loud. But even though he tried his best to control the nagging irritation brewing within him, an austere groan managed to escape his lips.

Somehow, Yuna didn't hear his reaction and continued to walk beside him quietly, leaving the blitzer to fall back into deep contemplation over the unusual maester. For the most part Tidus felt continually doubtful about Seymour's authenticity… there was just something about him that wasn't quite right. Tidus' be damned if he told his companions that though: his mouth had already led him halfway down the path to destruction once already with the Al Bhed incident, he couldn't afford to do it again.

His ponderous thoughts were suddenly cut short as a loud voice rang out behind him knocking him back into reality.

"Hey, we're here!" Wakka exclaimed.

It was now too late, Tidus could no longer deliberate with himself over the matter; Guadosalam was already before them. Yet as always, he was surprised by what he saw.

As the road came to a halt, the trees upon either side of the path grew strangely denser. Over time the thick branches had accumulated over the extent of the road and intermingled, forming the outer shell of a wide gaping tunnel. Staring into its deep foreboding depths from afar, the young blitzer instantly felt himself shudder uncomfortably in its presence.

Examining the eerie feature closely, he saw that above its gaping magnitude, the tunnel was clothed in strange living roots coloured a mildewed bark-brown with mottled patches of green upon them. They twisted in a gnarled formation over the tunnel roof like a series coiling veins and arteries. In between their thick sinuous contours were strange veined plates that seemed to resemble an unusual type of glass. Even weirder was the sickly yellow-green light that emanated in a pulsating fashion from them.

Tidus recoiled hesitantly as the others advanced willingly towards the entrance; it too was now glowing with a strange hue that seemed all the more un-welcoming to him. Yet, as he stood there as stubborn as a mule, the inevitable droplets of icy rain began to drizzle down upon him, speckling his clothing with their wet mockery. Faced with no other option, he hurriedly rushed before his comrades and led them into the abyss.

Tidus felt his heart race in his chest as he passed under the low threshold; a spine-tingling chill passed over him freezing him to the bone as a rushing blast of cold air greeted him numbingly with its icy caress. Yet his hesitance was dramatically put on hold when his eyes adjusted to the bright light pulsing within.

The blitzer found himself within a large circular hollow. The walls, much like the outside were like bark in texture and colour; but it wasn't that which made him stare. Under their very feet the same light radiated out of the floor, which was completely forged of the strange glassy substance. Again, the weird artery-like roots smothered the surface, but this time they did it in style. Coiling and looping in a wonderful spiral patterns; the stalks lay flatly upon the floor in beautiful design. Tidus couldn't help but feel slightly intrigued by them.

But now wasn't the time to be admiring the ground, the party had to press on and Guadosalam was still ahead. Another tunnel led down from the far end of the room, as soon as Tidus clapped eyes on it his suspicion came back with a vengeance.

Yet rue to let anyone else take the lead, he found himself showing them the way once again into the haunting darkness.

With only a faint light at the very end to guide them, the party traipsed further and further down the variegated tunnel, bumping and jarring into the encasing walls clumsily. The longer they remained in the eerie darkness, the heavier the tension seemed to mount; it felt like the thick walls would close in on them any second and swallow them whole. Smothered and choked by the deathly atmosphere within the enclosed space, Tidus was all too thrilled to reach the bright light emanating on the other side.

Walking out into the wide-open space, the party breathed a sigh of relief, blinking madly to adjust to the new light. Once they'd become accustomed to new atmosphere, they finally beheld the labyrinthine settlement known as Guadosalam.

Again, like the previous room, the place was extremely expanse consisting entirely of the mottled tree bark, even the ground. Like a confusing maze, paths and walkways lifted up above their heads, all joining and connecting as they supported all kinds of small abodes with vividly coloured doors. The initial thing that struck Tidus upon seeing the place was its sheer abundance of light. The whole place glowed with bright light, tricking the spectators into believing there was no roof and daylight seeped in, even stranger was the fact that there were no lamps in the entire place.

It was then, when they were standing in quiet observance at the entrance that a figure began to approach them. From afar, Tidus could make out that the man wore a green robe-like garment with a white collar and maroon sleeves. Yet as he advanced closer to them at a slow striding pace, Tidus found that he wasn't a man at all!

The stranger's face was gaunt and sallow, bearing a square wiry beard and moustache, white in colour. A vivid green hue shone out from his narrow slanted eyes, which were surrounded by weird vein-like markings. The markings: they were one trait he shared with Seymour, the other was his gigantic hands that were adorned with long claw-like fingernails.

"We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna. Welcome to Guadosalam." The old Guado began with a gracious smile as he halted before them. "This way, my lady. This way." Without waiting for a reply he reached forward to take the summoner's arm eagerly within his huge clammy hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka exclaimed fervently, catching the Guado's arm before he could touch the recoiling Yuna.

The man stepped back realising his mistake as a barrage of suspicious glances from her guardians hit him hard.

"Oh, I beg your pardon. I am called Tromell Guado." He said, bowing low with deep reverence. "I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado." An air of bursting pride took over his voice as he mentioned the maester's name.

Hearing that the Guado man was affiliated with Seymour immediately doused their mistrust of him, unlike Tidus where it had a profound opposite effect.

"Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna." Tromell continued suddenly, looking through his narrow eyes to her guardians.

"Business with me?" Yuna questioned surprised, her voiced taking on a twinge of nervousness. "Whatever could it be I wonder?"

"Please, come inside the manor." Tromell assured stepping to one side as he held his hand in its direction politely. "All will be explained."

In the near distance, almost hidden by the twisting paths of the town were two large crimson doors, their magnitude immediately spelled out their significance.

"Of course, your friends are also welcome." The Guado confirmed as he began to lead the way.

Yuna followed him hurriedly as he wandered off towards the manor doors. Her guardians tagged along too, leaving Tidus and Rikku to straggle along behind them.

"Twist our arms, why don't ya?" The young Al Bhed stated in a quiet voice, pitching a deriding grimace to Tromell's back.

Tidus tittered silently at her sarcasm; maybe she felt the same as him about this place…

In only a short space of time the company reached eminent manor; home of the maester. Looking now at a closer proximity, Tidus saw that its doors were carved extravagantly with deep grooved patterns and coloured in patches with hazy mauves and greens. The area above the entrance, which was previously concealed to him, was now also clear. He gazed up with wonder to set eyes on the entirety of the building.

A strange arch consisting of branches formed the roof of the entrance, reaching down from the ceiling and the walls at either side other connecting branches joined it. Within their midst was a iridescent pointed blue dome, its shining hue gleaned brightly in mysterious splendour like the ones in the first room Tidus had encountered. Upon the domed roof's surface, strange emblems were emblazoned coloured a delicate gold. All in all, the place was presented like a mini palace, what would transpire inside however was yet to be found out.

As he got to the stairs leading up to the doors, the rest of the party except him and Rikku had already entered. Yet as he ventured to climb them, Tidus got the strangest feeling he was being watched. Cautiously, he peered back over his shoulder to catch sight of several pairs of slanted beady eyes observing him from afar. Like vultures, the Guado nearby watched him with intrigued interest, their weird flat faces all alike in colour and tone. Tidus blinked, unsure of what to make of them, the first word that came to mind was creepy; the second was hideous: but he thought it best to keep both to himself. All too happily, he followed Rikku inside the manor; somehow entering the building away from them now seemed all too appealing.

"Mmm, what smells so nice?" Rikku questioned, sniffing the air with deep fascination as they passed under the threshold, shutting the creaking door loudly behind them.

Tidus glanced around to find the answer to the sweet scented aroma, but found nothing that could possibly be causing the smell. There were no flowers or anything of the sort about the place.

Like the first room again, the floor in the front hall was made of the odd glassy substance; it colours a deep lilac patterned with a shining sky blue. Of course, the ground wasn't void of the strange root formations that curled over blocking out part of the iridescent light it emitted.

At either side of the large room, two sweeping staircases formed from knotted bark raised up the another level of the building. Yuna and the rest of her guardians however had been left waiting in the midst of them; Tromell was nowhere to be seen. Tidus presumed that the Guado man had gone off to get the maester… well he hoped so, so they could get this 'meeting' over and done with.

Like the others he waited a while in silence, but having a limited amount of patience, Tidus soon let his curiosity get the better of him and found himself wandering up one of the long staircases, where Lulu was standing staring at the wall intently. When he arrived at her position, he realised that she was scanning a long line of portraits hanging before her.

"These are the past leaders of the Guado." She informed, probing them closely with her deep crimson eyes.

Tidus stared at them all in turn; every one of them was middle aged with wiry blue hair and slanted grey eyes. "They all look the same!" he exclaimed.

"Maester Seymour doesn't look like them though." Wakka confirmed coming up behind them. His dark eyes locked onto the last portrait of the line: Seymour's.

"Don't you know?" Lulu inquired, looking down to Wakka as he was desperately trying to fathom why Seymour was different to his predecessors. "The last leader… Maester Jyscal… " She said, pointing the portrait that came before Seymour's. "He wed a human woman. She was Seymour's mother."

"Oh…" The two blitzers replied in unison blinking in widely at the revelation. Seymour was only half Guado; he was half human, too…

Thinking about the 'wonderful' maester only coaxed Tidus into wondering what exactly he wanted with Yuna. It was probably something and nothing… but then again it _was_ Seymour they were dealing with, anything could happen…

Tidus peered down over the banister questionably to find Yuna standing down by a large engraved door at the far side of the room; Kimahri was by her side as always. Her face was however deteriorated from its normal serenity; she seemed drained of all colour as her hands fidgeting desperately with her wide belt. She seemed genuinely nervous about seeing the maester again…

"Kimahri not like Maester Seymour!" Kimahri suddenly uttered loudly, breaking the peace with his feline eyes glowering.

Yuna let out a cry of dismay at the ronso's loud admittance. "Shhh!" she hissed, darting her eyes around the room in fear that any Guado would hear the almost blasphemous statement.

Kimahri folded his arms sullenly and remained quiet.

Tidus stared at him in disbelief, the ronso's feelings must've been extremely strong if he was coerced to speak and break the tense silence.

Suddenly the door Yuna was waiting by flung open. Tromell reappeared with a crooked smile spread across his face.

"This way please." He said with a low bow, before turning back down the way he came.

The summoner party pursued him slowly as the doorway opened into a short stone passageway. It wasn't long before they reached another room of great prominence. In the midst of it lay a huge table laden with a large variety of wholesome fruits.

Rikku was the first to rush up to it and commence stuffing her face, despite the fact Tromell was still in their company. At either side of the room were long wall-side tables filled with translucent plates that were entirely intricate in design. In between these tables rose several tall columns, carved deeply with mythical creatures. On the very tops of them near the high ceiling were gigantic bouquets of variegated flowers that matched superbly with the colourful décor of the grand room.

"I will go and inform Lord Seymour. Please wait here." Tromell said eventually as he rushed off to yet another door set in the far wall of the expanse room.

With the disappearance of the Guado, his companions scattered to different parts of the chamber, some sat down on the small red couches that lingered near the candle-lit tables, others loitered hungrily near the tasty food. It was only when Tidus endeavoured to join them that a dark utterance by the doorway behind him stopped him completely in his tracks.

"Stay on your guard."

The blitzer swung around to see Auron taking his usual stance against the doorframe.

"Why?" Tidus quizzed quietly in mild surprise. "This guy's just a priest, right?"

"Those with power use that power." Auron confirmed with stringent vehemence. "Maesters have power." He stared the blitzer in the eyes sharply from behind his dark glasses.

But Tidus had other ideas spiralling in his mind. "Wait…" he said, narrowing his eyes. "You sure you don't have something against Yevon?"

The warrior turned away with an amused laugh. "I lived a long time in Zanarkand." he said.

Tidus made a quiet noise of acknowledgement. Auron _had_ lived a long time in Zanarkand; from the age of seven Tidus remembered him calling over to his house often, despite the fact he had no idea whom the warrior was. That was over ten years, ten years without Yevon: Auron was the same as Tidus… he held no particular care for the religion.

Leaving the warrior to his thoughts Tidus let his stomach do the thinking and tramped over to the food table where Lulu was waiting patiently with the busily eating Rikku.

"Mmm, this is good!" The Al Bhed murmured; her mouth stuffed full with the whole of a mushy banana. "Guado sure know how to eat!"

Tidus quickly joined her in clearing the table, before his actions were halted yet again.

"There's no temple here in Guadosalam, see? Summoners usually just pass through on their way elsewhere."

Tidus pulled the apple from his mouth and began laugh quietly.

"What?" Lulu swung her head around, her rage beginning to smoulder at his reaction to her statement.

"I didn't even ask a question and you're explaining things." He said with a grin.

"You'd rather I say nothing, then?" Lulu questioned being deliberately awkward.

"No, no!" Tidus disputed shaking his head. "Maybe you finally believe I don't know anything about Spira." He stated in an urging voice. "… And maybe that means you believe me about Zanarkand, too?" A hopeful glimmer twinkled in his eyes with the ending if his words.

"Well…" The mage began, folding her arms promptly. "There are many things I do not know. Your Zanarkand is one of those things. I suppose I can't say what I think either way. Still… be careful." She warned, her ruby eyes aglow. "You shouldn't tell other people."

"Yeah, I know." Tidus sighed.

Feeling like his appetite had completely drained from him, the blitzer moved on from the food table, the boredom was beginning to set in. Tromell and Seymour sure were taking their time. Thinking on this, Tidus glanced over to where Yuna was standing. Her condition had deteriorated immensely compared to before. Now she batted her lids profusely whilst her eyes roved the floor. The anxiety was becoming almost too much for her to bear.

Fuelled with impatience over her intensifying state, Tidus slumped down heavily on a side couch next to Wakka, tapping his fingers on his knees briskly. It was only then that he noticed the strange pulsating sphere hovering above him.

It flashed slowly in a bright blue glimmering light completely dazzling the blitzer's eyes. For a moment he felt almost hypnotised under its enchanting pulse.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening brought the blitzer back to his senses. He looked towards the source quickly, as did everyone else.

They found Tromell stood in the open doorway, but no Seymour. Tidus felt the urge to tut really loudly in annoyance, but held it in as the Guado began to speak.

"Truly, it is good to have guests again." He said breathlessly with a laugh, sounding like he'd run a long way.

Closing the door behind him, Tromell entered the room properly, striding towards the majority of the group slowly. "Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."

"The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira." Yuna agreed wistfully.

"Was this Maester Jyscal really such a great guy?" Tidus whispered leaning over to Wakka.

"He brought the teachings of Yevon to the Guado." The islander confirmed. "He was truly a great man."

"Truly, a loss for us all." Tromell intervened, hearing Wakka's words with a sorrowful shake of his head. "But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us." He said, as his green Guado eyes lit up with jubilation. "Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our to races together! But that is not all, I think…"

Tidus rolled his eyes secretly, wondering when the awful butt-kissing speech would stop… but his luck was not in.

"Lord Seymour…" Tromell cried, letting his arms outstretch widely with unbridled adulation. "He will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira!"

"That is enough, Tromell…"

The summoner party looked up with startled surprise as the tall maester entered the room. Tidus felt an instant chill take hold of the air as he approached, his eyes alight with a molten fire of silver flame.

"Must I always endure such praise?" Seymour questioned his servant before greeting the others with a humble prayer. "Welcome!" He proclaimed with a wide smirk, making Tidus feel nauseous with his over-kind hospitality.

"You… wanted to see me?" Yuna inquired nervously, stepping before him with anxious question, her guardians rising to follow her.

"Please, make yourselves at home. There's no rush." Seymour stated, with a peculiar twinkle in his eyes.

Auron was the first to break the peace. "Please, keep this short." He said, with a defiant streak seeping through his voice. "Yuna _must_ rush."

"Pardon me." The maester replied with a bow. "It has been a long time since I had guests. Lady Yuna, this way."

Apprehensively, she raised her foot to step towards him, but as it touched the ground something inconceivable happened… the floor was no longer there.

To their complete amazement, the hard marble floor melted into a glittering sea of cerulean stars. They flickered and glinted up to meet the summoner's admiring eyes, highlight her face elegantly in a shimmering sapphire hue that exuded gracefulness.

All around them they were enshrouded in darkness as thousands of shimmering lights, excelling anything they'd ever seen, raced about them, passing through their bodies in an exciting fanfare of beauty. Gasping with wonder, the summoner party watched in awe-struck delight wondering how and where the magnificent spectacle had come about. It was a strange and exhilarating experience to say the least.

It was only when Seymour spoke that they understood what was occurring…

"This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane." He explained eventually.

Before they could question him, their surroundings transformed once again… what met them made them catch their breath in wonder. Yuna clamped her hand over her mouth as the dazzling image shot beneath them like the running belt of treadmill. A vast city bursting with extravagant nightlight, its towering buildings rising up between cascading waterfalls of glittering water.

"_Zanarkand_!" Tidus blurted out in alarm, instantly recognising the place he called home.

"Correct, Zanarkand as it looked one thousand years ago." Seymour replied extinguishing Tidus' hopes.

The blitzer looked on, his heart still pounding with heated adrenaline. He stood frozen with bated breath wondering whether the image would become real… whether they'd end up in his city. Unlike the others, who at the present time were gawking with trembling disbelief, their eyes hanging out on stalks as they stared down on the awe-inspiring sight, almost salivating like a pack of hungry wolves.

"The great and wondrous machina city, Zanarkand… "Seymour continued with an exalted power dominating his voice. "She once lived in this metropolis." The bright lights of the city illuminating his pale face a glimmering blue as they rushed by him frenziedly.

Auron folded his arms at the statement with a curt grunt. "Hmph."

"She who?" Yuna inquired, gazing up at the towering maester, her eyes glittering with curiosity.

Seymour smiled wryly and the reflection of the wondrous city slowly dissipated from beneath them. In a hazy flash their whereabouts were changed, and they found themselves in the midst of a dome shaped room.

Within the air was frightfully cold, numbing their bodies with its inert mass. Observing through the steam of their breath, the summoner party scanned the room with hesitance. It was ancient, seemingly archaic in design with extravagantly decorated wall mirrors and statues carved out of smooth white marble. Yet everything was hazy to the eyes, it was as if a white film had been cast over, blurring their perception.

Shivering uncomfortably, Tidus squinted in a vain attempt to see through the mist for an answer to its presence. He got one almost immediately. Before him, in the near distance, the ghostly figure of woman suddenly appeared, perched on the edge of a rounded bed in the centre. Tidus inhaled abruptly as he observed the translucent white spectre, waiting patiently as the ceremonial beads jangled ominously about her neck.

It was only then that Tidus realised he'd seen her before... and it wasn't in Zanarkand either.

Quickly, he cast his mind back to the temples of Spira. Within each he recalled there were four statues: statues of the High Summoners that had previously defeated Sin, one of which was Yuna's father. Above them, leaning out of the wall in grand design over the cloister doors were two more idols: a woman and a man. This was that woman; the one that according to Seymour lived in Zanarkand over a thousand years ago. Tidus supposed she must've born a great significance in Spira the way she was presented in the temples.

"Lady Yunalesca!" Yuna exclaimed suddenly, recognising the woman as Tidus had done.

"She was the first person to defeat Sin and save the world from its ravages." Seymour affirmed sweeping his long outlandish hair from his shoulders. "And you have inherited her name." He said, casting his penetrating silver gaze down upon the innocent summoner.

Yuna shied away from him modestly at his comparison. "It was my father who named me."

"Lord Braska was entrusting you with a great task." The maester replied, not taking his eyes from her. "He wanted you to face Sin, as Lady Yunalesca did… However, Lady Yunalesca did not save the world alone…To defeat the undefeatable Sin, it took an unbreakable bond of love-- of the kind that binds two heart for eternity."

Yuna blinked in question as slow chinking footsteps suddenly sounded behind her. She swung around to catch sight of a heavily armoured man approaching the room, his white cloak dragging behind him on the floor gracefully. He walked straight through the summoner's body, leaving her frozen from the inside out as he ventured the centre of the room.

Yuna watched awkwardly; rubbing the goosebumps from her arms softly as Yunalesca rushed to meet the man with a warm embrace. It was Lord Zaon, her husband. The summoner felt slightly ill at ease observing them, she felt as if she and the others were prying into things that were meant to be kept private.

Tidus unlike her however, screwed his face up in annoyance at the whole ordeal. It didn't make sense to him whatsoever. Two people, before they were remembered in statue form, lived in Zanarkand and were the first to defeat Sin together over a thousand years ago… so what?

Growing increasingly disturbed by the maester's stupid display, the blitzer folded his arms and glowered over at him, his blue eyes narrowing. As he did so, Seymour leaned down to the summoner's height. She hesitated slightly, wondering what he was going to do before he whispered something inaudible into her ear.

Yuna recoiled instantly upon hearing the soft words, clapping her hand over her mouth to smother the alarmed gasp that escaped her.

The maester raised himself up to his regular height with an apt nod, and the image of the bedchamber vanished from around them. Instantly the summoner party found themselves back in the food hall in the manor… but the atmosphere seemed drastically different to before.

Yuna remained stiffly in her position, her dual eyes glazed over with perpetual shock. Finally, she moved from under his searching gaze and walked over to meet her guardians rigidly. She halted before them, burying her eyes in the floor limply, like she'd been stained with words impure.

"Wow!" Rikku cried, with a slight laugh as they gathered to her curiously. "Your face is beet red!"

"You okay?" Tidus added, scanning her troubled features with concern.

The summoner cupped her hot cheeks abashed. "He…He asked me to marry him!" She said meekly.

Tidus instantly felt the ground open up beneath him forming a bottomless abyss, where he began plummeting down beyond the light of day. "You serious?" He exclaimed in fractured alarm, as a strange avid fury began to overpower his astonishment.

Yuna declined to answer; her aggrieved face said it all.

Tidus looked up to meet the observing maester with a glare of bitter animosity. "Hey!" He cried, furrowing his brows… so that was the reason for his fancy display of fame and glory!

"You know what Yuna must do." Auron intervened, staring at the master with hostile wrath.

"Of course." Seymour replied calmly. "Lady Yuna -- no, all summoners -- are charged with bringing peace to Spira… But this means more than just defeating Sin. " In his eyes burnt a tenacious fire as the words of his conviction unfolded. "She must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people. I proposed the Lady Yuna as a maester of Yevon."

"Spira is no playhouse." Auron disputed with adverse defiance. "A moment's diversion may amuse an audience but it changes _nothing_."

"Even so, " Seymour continued, his disposition remaining as adept as before. "The actors must play their parts." His eyes made contact with the warrior's momentarily, the struggle of their opposed wills fought bitterly before Seymour turned his attention back to Yuna.

"There's no need to answer right away. Please think it over." He said with a gracious smile, looking down to her with gleaning superiority.

She faltered quietly under his gaze, dipping her head down to meet the cold stone floor.

"We will do so, then." Auron stated darkly, turning away. "We leave."

The majority of the party obeyed the warrior's words and left the chamber via the carved door, they too were slightly taken aback by the sudden change of events.

"Lady Yuna." Seymour called as the straggling summoner turned to follow. "I await your… _favourable_ reply."

She nodded abruptly, and turned away to pass through the door swiftly like the others before her, leaving Rikku, Tidus and Auron to tag along behind.

Seymour also strove to return to door he had come from previously, but a sensation came over him, so strong it could not be ignored. "Why are you still here, sir?" He inquired with sudden inquisitiveness as the summoner disappeared through the doorframe.

Auron glimpsed back over his shoulder in reply with slow grinding antipathy.

"I beg your pardon." Seymour voiced with a bow seeing the warrior's reaction to he searching question. "We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane."

Tidus looked back to the stationary Auron curiously wondering exactly what Seymour meant. Raising an eyebrow, he leaned over as he ventured to sniff the red-robed man.

With a detestable grunt, Auron shoved the blitzer aside roughly for his impertinence, and strode out of the door in a fiery strop, leaving him and Rikku to follow; the later taking the opportunity to pinch two apples when Seymour had his back turned.

Once outside, Tidus and Rikku found the rest of their group lingering around a small cascading water fountain, its waters pure in colour, glistening like a falling river of stars. Yuna perched on its outwards facing ledge, away from the spraying droplets of liquid, whilst pensive thoughts rushed through her mind in a flurrying torrent of deliberation.

"Yuna, the high summoner's daughter… Seymour: leader of the Guado." Lulu said eventually as she put a thoughtful hand to her chin. "Married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race… It would give Spira something cheery to talk about for a change." She concluded, folding her arms decisively.

"Sounds just like a passin' daydream like Auron says." Wakka disagreed lightly, gazing down upon the quiet summoner.

"Come on…" Tidus whined interrupting their silent contemplation. "Let's just get on with the pilgrimage! I mean, _marriage_?" He exclaimed, shoving his hand on his hip.

"Hmmm." Rikku turned to him narrowing her jade eyes with an insinuating smirk, "Jealous?"

"_What_?" Tidus argued loudly, screwing his face up in frustration. "No way!" He protested adamantly. "We gotta defeat Sin. _Romance_ can wait!"

Rikku giggled silently at his sturdy denial, and batted off his glaring statement with a teasing wink of her eye, much to his annoyance.

"Well, he sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us." Wakka groaned, restoring the peace.

"Maybe it is… a fine time." Yuna voiced suddenly, breaking her pensive silence.

Tidus nearly hit the roof with shock at her remark. "You serious?" He blurted out.

"If my getting married would help Spira… " She added slowly, her dual gaze fixed to the floor. " …if it would make people happy… if I could do that for people, then maybe I should do what I can."

"_Seriously_?" Tidus exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing.

As the blitzer listened on tenterhooks, Rikku crouched down to the summoner's height, stealing the chance to see her face. "You could always just quit your pilgrimage and get married." She suggested brightly, hugging her knees.

Yuna smiled sweetly with a breathless laugh. "I will… go on." She said with quiet resolution. "I'm sure that Lord Seymour with understand."

"Umm, I guess so…" Rikku agreed with a small nod.

"I am a summoner." Yuna proclaimed, straightening up with strong attestation. "I must fight and defeat Sin."

"Like Braska before you." Auron stated promptly.

Yuna nodded.

But Tidus watched her, loosing his breath with every second she remained under his gaze; a deep binding anguish enslaved him torturously from the inside, compelling his gloved fists to tighten mercilessly.

_"I had to stop myself from shouting:_

_'What's there to think about?'"_

The summoner rose to her feet, the deep contention now settled in her firm dual eyes. "I'm going to the Farplane." She asserted. "I'm going to see my father and think on this."

"Go, on." Lulu said supportively. "We're right behind you."

With a brief nod, Yuna set off on her way, leading the group onwards up a steep incline to their right, and onto the next level of the maze town.

Tidus lingered behind.

_"I wondered why none of the others ever asked Yuna:  
Do you love Seymour?  
Do you even like him?"_

He watched distantly, as she passed out of sight. Her fierce determination, her fiery resolution: both were inextinguishable. But so was her selflessness…

All Tidus could do was hope that it wouldn't lead her down the wrong road…

To be continued…

_AN: Hey there!  
This week's chappie has been another pain in the butt because I still haven't quite recovered from my writer's block yet! I've been tearing my hair out all week!_

_Anyway, I've finally got 14 in the bag so next week we'll be able to stroll off to the Thunder Plains, oh and we get Yuna's decisions and the Farplane next week, too. Originally this chappie was meant include the Farplane etc, but as usual the chapter ended up way too long and I didn't want to extent it any further cause the sequences are rather lengthy further on!_

_Well, time is against me yet again, gotta go!  
Laters!_

_Vogue Star_

_PS Review me please!_


	15. The Farplane

_AN:  
Hi there! First off I wanna say how sorry I am for taking soooooo long with this chapter. My hiatus got a bit out of control… here's a chocolate apology cake.  
Secondly, I want to thank you all for your persistence. I really needed a kick up the butt to get writing again and your reviews really helped… so thanks._

_Anyway, it's official, I'm back! Hopefully I can update as often as I used to…  
Well, here's the long overdue chapter 15!_

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own ffx/ffx-2 or the characters in them._

Chapter 15: The Farplane.

As the dim footsteps of his companions faded away into the distance, Tidus remained; his feet now firmly fixed to the dry ground beneath them. As the following dour silence closed in about him his frozen mind began to thaw, relieving him of his inner trauma. But with this subsidence of shock, unbidden thoughts were permitted to unravel within him. Fuelled with bitter poison, the once suppressed notions wove their noxious webs over his blue eyes, clouding them with virulent grey like a tarnished sky before the onset of a storm.

Tidus felt his heart pulse mercilessly in his chest, its pounding rhythm banging against his ribcage ferociously. The recollections of events that took place inside the manor now gushed freely within him, enticing his feral rage to surface under their asphyxiating grasp.

Tidus blinked suddenly, taking a moment to question the burning emotion that consumed him so, such bleeding abhorrent rage. Why did Seymour coax such anger from him: anger and hate that rivalled that he felt towards Jecht? Maybe it was the way the putrescent maester had the cheek to propose that got him going, or maybe it was the way Seymour slithered around Yuna and the others giving know all advice with his acidic tongue and poisonous words? No matter how hard he tried, the answers to his questions eluded him. Even as he calmed to concentrate on other things he was faced with another matter…

Yuna: Tidus kicked himself inwardly for forgetting her at that moment, she after all had a pivotal role in all of this unnecessary drama. Having already witnessed her unyielding determination, Tidus was reluctant to feel optimistic about the situation. Still, anything could happen… and somehow the blitzer felt like he could almost see that faint glimmer of hope that flickered in the darkness. There was only one way he could find out what the outcome may be, and that was to follow her, to follow Yuna to the Farplane: a place he knew very little of but had heard enough about to begin wondering.

Fighting his drying throat and heavy limbs, Tidus pressed on after the summoner party, following their steps up to the next level of the Guado town. His companions immediately came into sight some way ahead of him as he advanced, quickening his pace up the craggy slope that rose up beneath him.

Taking the entirety of the strange incline into his sights, Tidus observed that at the very top a figure of small bent stature awaited them. The blitzer strained to see the figure more clearly, but as he did so his attention was snatched away and his azure eyes locked onto something far more interesting.

Opening out like a wide gaping mouth, a tall archway towered over behind the figure. It protruded out of the obstructing wall at the very top of the road with overpowering supremacy. Dark glistening crimson etched into glittering blue stone glowed out from its imperial frame towards the blitzer, dazzling his eyes with its enigmatic beauty. As the group inched nearer to its resplendent form, Tidus caught up to them, his eyes tracing every contour as intricate patterns spoke out to him from the depths of its surface.

"Please remember, Lady Summoner…" A deep gravely voice uttered suddenly knocking Tidus from his mesmerised state.

The blitzer turned to set eyes upon a small hunched Guado man standing at the very side of the road. The cerise lights glowing in the covered lamps behind him highlighted his whole body in a sickly pick aura making his gnarled appearance all the more spooky to look upon.

"The Farplane is sacrosanct." He continued, addressing the entire party. "Proper conduct, please."

Yuna and the others bowed deeply, respecting the old Guado's statement, whereas Tidus on the other hand paid no particular heed to the man's words. His eyes had already found their way back to the captivating arch and the strange blue light that was now emitting hauntingly from it.

Without waiting a moment longer, Yuna took the lead and led the way under. Tidus was close to follow, curious to see what awaited them on the other side. He soon learnt that it was in fact a winding path, truly 'Guadoesque' in its appearance. Wide walls rose up at either side of them, completely covered in mottled root-like forms that knotted together smoothly leaving the place looking like some strange plant from above had burst its way in somehow. All the while the same beating lights, similar to the ones at the entrance to Guadosalam pulsed from the floor; cerulean mixed with verdant green.

It was only at this point that Tidus really noticed the heavy silence about his company. Nobody had spoken nor made so much as a sound since they'd set off. Given the circumstances and the events that had just taken place in the maester's manor it wasn't at all strange.

But still despite this fact, Tidus found himself growing more and more intolerant of the quiet ambience; it only seemed to add to the strange anticipation welling up inside him. His rabid curiosity wasn't something he could easily put on ice, and although he fought it desperately the tantalisingly curious thoughts of the Farplane were already in motion, churning wildly in his head. The sudden appearance of stray clusters of yellow pyreflies floating about them didn't help much either, he could already sense they were getting close.

Sure enough the blitzer was proved right when in no time at all the twisting path beneath them opened out into a vast airy chamber. Tidus gasped silently in awe at its sheer magnitude, all illuminated with silvery white light from above: a sight of pure magnificence.

Catching his breath, the blitzer cast his eyes down upon the centrepiece of the room, a tall wide staircase enshrouded in a strange rock-like substance that twinkled brilliantly with a pure viridian hue. Each of its mighty steps glistened in a lustrous pearly sheen, exuding consummate splendour. Indulging in the virtuous sight before him Tidus let his shining cerulean eyes wander up to the very top. What met him was a bizarre structure, dark scarlet in colour and enshrouded in swirling mist that billowed with an abundance of wandering pyreflies. The structure plastered the back wall and part of the ceiling as it leant down over the stair like some kind of strange spider web. In its very centre resided a large shimmering disk that changed colour kaleidoscopically as the light above ricocheted off its liquid-like surface. This was the way onwards, the way into the Farplane.

Yet as Tidus made the conclusion a swift thought struck him. He suddenly recalled whom they were going to see: Yuna's father. But Yuna's father was dead…  
Tidus knew that the Farplane was the place the pyreflies from the dead went to after a sending… but as for _seeing_ the dead…they didn't come _alive_ again in there, did they…?

The blitzer rubbed his chin in bewilderment, it didn't take long for him to voice his confusion aloud.

"Question!" He chirped up, stopping the group in their tracks as they were about to mount the staircase.

The majority turned to meet him with questionable glances, although some threw him the odd dubious stare: namely Lulu who made him feel like it was a crime to break the hallowed silence.

"About this Farplane…" Tidus continued, fidgeting with his gloved hands as his brows contorted. "When somebody dies, a summoner sends them to the Farplane, right? So their souls, or whatever they are, they go to the Farplane, right…?"

Lulu commenced eyeing him darkly with folded arms.

"But _that's_ the Farplane _we're_ going to, right…?" Tidus added, pointing up the staircase as his face screwed up with a mixture of what seemed to be anxiety and uncertainty. "And Yuna's old man's there, too…? Do dead people live there or something…?"

Hearing his own words Tidus couldn't help getting a tad creeped out about where they were about to venture. He shivered, rubbing the goosebumps from his arms briskly as a deathly cold tingle shot up his spine.

A small smile crept over Wakka's face as he perceived his fellow blitzer's reaction, Tidus reminded him of himself when he first visited the Farplane. "You thinkin' those funny thoughts again, ya?" The islander inquired lightly.

Tidus grinned sheepishly; rubbing the back of his head as Lulu uttered a tired sigh.

"You'll see once we get there." Wakka assured looking back to the blitzer deeply.

Tidus nodded briefly as the last of the quaking shivers left his body, if Wakka was okay with the place then it couldn't be that bad… could it?

With the ending of the islander's words, Lulu pressed on with Yuna, coaxing the others to follow them up the stair to the portal at the top. Tidus watched from the distance with bated breath as Yuna took the lead, wandering freely into its circular mass. The forever changing light surrounded her momentarily, illuminating her slender form with a holy luminescence before she disappeared to the other side. Her guardians were soon to follow; striding into the portal followed her loyally into the place beyond.

Now it was Tidus' turn and the mixed feelings of anticipation and dread were back with a vengeance, causing him to tarry momentarily before the changing disk of light. Quaking slightly, he ventured to touch it, but at that moment another realisation struck him; two people were missing…

The blitzer looked back questionably to find that Auron had casually seated himself in a hunched manner some way down the right side of the staircase. He loitered down there motionlessly like a huge scarlet boulder, completely lost in what seemed to be deep contemplation.

"Aren't you coming?" Tidus quizzed brightly, looking down to him.

The warrior didn't flinch, nor did he break his glazed stare as he gazed down into the thick mist over the side of the stair. "I do not belong there." He replied eventually in quiet indifference, keeping his back to the portal and the blitzer.

Heeding Auron's reply, Tidus strode towards him with a curt snigger. "You're scared!" He cried smugly, folding his arms.

Auron however didn't flinch. "Searching the past the find the future…" he responded distantly as the beaming Tidus leaned in to see his face. "This is all that is there. I need it not… You'd better be going." He thrust his hand backwards signalling to the portal.

Slightly taken aback by the warrior's abstruse mood, Tidus held back to ponder over his strange words. What could he mean? Suddenly another utterance caught his attention from afar knocking him out of his silent deliberation.

"You're not _really_ going to see the dead, more like you're memories of them." Rikku explained as she clambered up from the bottom of the stairs. For some reason she too had lingered back, not following Yuna immediately like the others had done. "People think of their relatives and the pyreflies react to them." She said, letting her jade eyes pass to the portal slowly. "They take on the form of the dead person--an illusion, nothing else."

"Hmm…" Tidus rubbed his chin pensively. So you went to the Farplane, thought of your dead relatives and they appeared to you like some kinda weird illusion, it was all starting to make sense…

"Well, have fun!" The Al Bhed chimed with a curt wave before juggling her swiped apple from one hand to another.

"What, you're not going either Rikku?" Tidus responded in surprise as she began to back away.

"I… keep my memories inside." Rikku confessed slowly in a wistful tone, revealing a quiet side of her that Tidus had never seen before.

"Huh?" The blitzer raised his brows in question.

"Memories are nice… " She said softly in sombre repose." …but that's all they are." Her still clouded eyes met his suddenly and in a flash the strange melancholy within her had departed. "Well, see ya later!" With a beaming playful grin she seated herself opposite Auron and started munching on the apple like she'd never been fed.

Tidus glimpsed back to the shimmering portal with the slightest hesitance. Something deep inside him agreed with Rikku's philosophy on memories… but if he didn't go in he would never know…

"You're still here."

Tidus sprung round to catch Auron glancing at him through the corner of his eye, the blitzer had only shown a second of reluctance but it was enough for Auron to get his own back for saying he was scared earlier. Instantly vexed by the insinuating tone of his comrade, the blitzer retorted loudly with an annoyed grunt and strode up to the portal boldly, rejecting the caustic statement with stark vehemence.

Shunting to a halt before the light endowed disk, he reached forwards to tap the glimmering surface slowly. It rippled with slowly with the impact of his gloved finger like a shallow pool of dappled water. With his hesitance now quelled, Tidus watched with a deep-rooted fascination as the strange viscous substance slowly relaxed back to its original flat state. He applied both hands to it and observed in amazement as its light filled surface bent around them creating a small fissure for them to pass through. Pushing gently, he let his body follow his hands and stumbled blindly to the other side as the iridescent light of the portal melted about him, granting him access to the eminent Farplane.

As his feet met the ground upon the other side, a cool breeze greeted him, brushing his hair back over his cheeks. Chilled under its inert touch, the blitzer slowly opened his eyes, in an attempt to see his new surroundings. His initial reaction was quiet surprise; the Farplane wasn't half as fascinating as he'd expected it to be, maybe holding it in deep anticipation wasn't a good idea after all.

Taking the chance to scan every aspect of the place, Tidus saw that he was presently standing on the nearest edge of a wide oval platform, completely antediluvian in appearance. Lacking in lustre, it stretched out before him, completely comprised of thick dry stone. A rusty hue emitted from its arid depths, filling the few inches of air above its surface with dry orange dust. Rocky hillocks also rose out of the sandy stone, littering the far edges of the platform with their various shapes and sizes.

Tidus followed them as they tapered up to meet the sky: the exposed sky. The blitzer gazed up in bewilderment as an immediate sense of high altitude hit him.

"What the-?" He exclaimed aloud. He couldn't be _that_ high, he thought dismissing the strange notion, … after all they'd only climbed a single flight of stairs to get here… but this was no ordinary platform. He swung round in bewilderment to look back upon the portal, just to reassure himself that he wasn't seeing things.

But it was gone. There was no trace that the portal ever existed.

A mild panic set root in the blitzer as his eyes began to dart about wildly. If they weren't attached to the portal path, it meant they were… floating. A deep sick feeling welled up inside Tidus' stomach as the realisation hit him. Probing the endless heavens above, he saw only thick grey cloud that led right down to the straight horizon… but it wasn't this that bothered him, it was the fact that he could see below it.

Tidus rushed to the furthest edge of the plateau and felt his jaw hit the floor in disbelief as he peered down over the brink. Reaching up to meet the dull upper limits of the sky wafted nothing but a thick surge of dense golden cloud, a sheer contrast to the colour above. The blitzer felt his eyes bulge in fractured astonishment; they weren't hovering just metres over ground level, it was more like miles!

Staring down into the fathomless depths of the sky below and beyond them, Tidus felt his body freeze with dire shock, this was just impossible. Catching his breath, he tried to reanalyse the situation, just to make sure he wasn't going crazy. But before he had the time to contemplate, the sky moved. Tidus backed up in apprehension as a powerful gale broke loose from beneath where he was standing and took control of the golden coverage of the lower sky. With the exertion of tremendous power the blasting wind tore into the cloud, tossing it into a screaming omnipotent vortex. The billowing vapours crashed about in a swirling mass throwing their golden cream colour over the horizon and the remainder of the sky. It was only a matter of time before they'd dispersed, leaving only their hue behind.

As the deafening wind followed, dying down almost as quickly as it had awoken, a new sound reached the blitzer's ears: water. It was closely followed by a more poignant sound that ran in sweet melodious tones, breathless in their utterance: the sound of pyreflies. As the last remnants of cloud dispersed an inconceivable sight met his widening eyes, catching him off guard with its pure radiance.

Before him, nestled just below the plateau, lay a wide circular plain covered in a boundless mass of efflorescence. Soft lilac and divine crimson shimmered up from the depths of their petals, immersing the entire plain in their ethereal light. From within their mystical coalescence wafted a sweet perfume, enticing the blitzer's roving eyes to wander further into their velveteen petals.

At the very edges of this captivating land rose steep towering hillsides comprised of dark glittering rock. Clear glistening water gushed rapidly over them, dodging the flourishing plant-life before crashing down to form a rippling moat, encompassing the flower-covered field below. Like tadpoles with tails of kaleidoscopic light, endless schools of pyreflies swam playfully within the waters; riding the current down to the field before popping out at intervals to intermingle within the flowers. All the while emitting their haunting melody, an esoteric chant that flowed with mellifluent resonance as they drifted back and forth over the land.

It was hard to believe that a place brimming with what seemed to be so much life was a haven for the dead, and that the pyreflies were in fact those dead ones. This was a place that encapsulated the true meaning of purity; the old Guado hadn't been wrong, it truly was sacrosanct. And overlooking it all lingered a pale moon set in a crystalline sky that glittered in a magical azure light, melting to gentle lilac in the endless influence of the limitless colour below, completing the Farplane Glen.

Ripping his fascinated eyes away from it, Tidus glanced back to see what the others thought of the enigmatic land, only to be hindered immediately when he realised that he was the only one participating in silent gawking. His fellow companions had somewhat distanced themselves from him, choosing to stand near the sides of the plateau rather than at the far edge overlooking the glen.

Wakka was the first one to fall under Tidus' gaze. The bulky islander lingered away to his right, staring into the distant sky with glazed eyes. Small yellow pyreflies danced slowly before him, combining gradually to create a faint white mist. From within it a shape appeared, transforming into the image of a young man, it was just as Rikku said.

"Yo Chappu!" Wakka called cheerfully, raising a hand to the hovering figure before him. "Meant to come see you earlier, ya? Sorry! I know you won't hold it against me." He said bowing his head.

Tidus edged nearer as the pale figure brightened, allowing him to see its features much more clearly. Like his older brother, Tidus could now see that Chappu had deep ginger hair and dark tanned skin. He wore the coloured-fighting garb of the Crusaders and was armed with a long machina pistol. Completely different he seemed, but within Chappu's piercing blue eyes Tidus felt he saw a fraction of himself.

"I gave up the game." Wakka continued with a sigh, looking up to his ghostly brother. "I'm a guardian from here on, you know?" He paused momentarily to narrow his eyes in a secretive fashion. "This guy--looks a lot like you--showed up. Travelling with him I thought, maybe you were alive somewhere, ya? But, then again, here you are on the Farplane. Guess your place is here…" He said with a knowing sigh before starting again brightly as if he were conversing with a real person. "…So, how you been?"

However no reply came. The spectre merely stared at the islander lifelessly, it had no voice, no mind; nothing of his brother remained within its form, only its appearance resembled Chappu.

Tidus picked up on this instantly, feeling a deep empathy within for his companion who spoke to the ghost so casually, not even expecting a response. Had he been in a similar situation, Tidus wouldn't have known what to say to the figure, but Wakka was different, he carried on chattering, ignoring the fact that his brother wasn't listening.

"Oh, that guy I just told you about." The islander continued lowering his voice slightly. "I gave him your sword… He likes it." A strange smile crept over the Wakka's face as he fell back into deep silence, his still clouded eyes gazing up at the solitary apparition.

Tidus felt the thick steel of his sword press against his back as it was mentioned and recalled its name 'Brotherhood'. Feeling the deep warmth in his companion's words and the sobriety in his smile, Tidus knew that in him Wakka had already created a surrogate brother. And to a young blitzer who had been an only child all his life, Tidus felt greatly privileged to be seen in that light. He watched in quiet solemnity as a white sheen shifted numbly over the translucent features of Chappu's face from afar now feeling a new connection with him, one that was different to the similarity in their appearance.

"He is dead, and I am still alive… Coming here really makes that clear."

Tidus turned suddenly in answer to the husky voice now beside him; its owners gaze fixed firmly on the shape of Chappu. The stinging animosity that the red eyes usually held was completely drained unveiling a strange sadness within that Tidus had never seen in the mage before.

"I should focus more on what I have to do now." Lulu continued gravely. Before Tidus could respond she turned away to the side and laughed quietly in spite of herself.

"What?" the blitzer cried, raising his eyebrows at her bizarre behaviour.

The mage shook her head with a look of uncertainty. "I'm not even sure what I'm saying." She said doubtfully as her long dark braids swept over her bare shoulders.

"Don't you mean that you should leave Chappu behind?" Tidus inquired with a supportive glint in his eyes. "I'm sure he was a great guy, but there'll be others." He said optimistically, looking back to the spectre.

"Hmm." Lulu replied, folding her arms pensively. "That's a possibility... " She said as a glimmer of her old self returned.

"Hmmm…" Tidus rolled his eyes thoughtfully. "How about… Wakka?" He suggested.

"What, me? With Wakka?" The mage retorted sharply with a sceptical stare.

"Yeah," Tidus confirmed with bright assurance "you two get along great!"

"Getting along isn't enough. Not even close." She shot back darkly with a sour glare making the blitzer feel downright foolish for proposing such a mismatch.

"Oh, sorry. My mistake." He responded stiffly, knowing he'd angered her for the millionth time.

"You'd do well to remember that." Lulu said suddenly staring at him sidelong with a strange bright twinkle in her eyes. "Knowing a bit about women might come in handy some day." She said, restraining a sly smile.

"Yeah, I'll remember." Tidus replied shrivelling away awkwardly as she sensed a slight inexperience in him.

"I won't be forgetting either." She remarked acerbically, before turning her piercing gaze back to the floating apparition of her lost love. "Goodbye Chappu. You always said I looked grumpy… but those were the happiest days of my life…" she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Why don't _you_ try calling someone?" She asked looking back to Tidus suddenly. "All you have to do is think about them."

Feeling that this was the best time to take his leave of her, Tidus departed from her company with a brief nod. He wandered slowly to the far edge of the platform, stealing a chance to look down over the tranquil glen once more, to immerse himself in the entrancing scenery. This place, its beauty took his breath away, yet still there was only one thing on his mind as his eyes travelled up from its flower-filled depths.

_"The Farplane was cool…  
But I couldn't stop thinking about Yuna…"_

The blitzer caught sight of her in the near distance lingering motionlessly near the edge, her pale skin softly illuminated by the gentle light that emanated from below. Seemingly lost in her own thoughts, she gazed meaningfully up to the two ghostly figures that floated before her: her parents. Tidus set his eyes on them curiously beholding for the first time the man that Spira adored: Lord Braska. Now clothed in deep scarlet, Yuna's father looked completely different compared to the dull grey hue of his statue. By his side was a tall woman with golden hair that barely brushed her shoulders and pale porcelain skin, she was a complete likeness of her daughter. Still, as he looked at them together, finding fragments of Yuna, a sharp anxiety stabbed at him from within.

_"Her parents… they looked so happy together.  
But it got me worried that maybe seeing them would make Yuna really consider Seymour's proposal."_

Fighting his ongoing concern, Tidus approached the summoner reluctantly. He was rue to disturb her at that moment, but it had to be done, and he couldn't wait any longer.

"So, … er Yuna?" He began, trying to veil his apprehension as he fidgeted with his chain.

The summoner turned in answer to her name, as she did so the apparitions before her disappeared, her mindset was no longer on them. "I've decided." She said gently, before turning back to look over the glen.

"Oh? Really?" Tidus uttered with feigned surprise, forcing a weak smile. "That's good."

For a while she was silent, quietly watching over the dancing pyreflies glide far below them. "I remember…when I was seven years old in Bevelle that day." She said suddenly, her eyes clouding over with reminiscence, "My father had defeated Sin, and the whole town was out in the streets. Everyone was laughing… They all seemed so happy…If _I_ defeated Sin, that would make everyone happy… wouldn't it?" She asked, gazing back at him, the distant colours of the glen glimmering in her bright eyes.

The blitzer however was lost for words…what was she saying? Was she really declining the maester's offer? A strange weight suddenly lifted from his shoulders as the realisation sunk into his psyche.

"I must do what everyone wants, not just what I want." Yuna said, nailing the fact home with steely determination. She wouldn't give Spira happiness through fake matrimony; she'd destroy their sorrow instead and defeat Sin like the original plan was.

Tidus didn't know whether to laugh or shout out loud. "Let's go back!" He gushed energetically unable to control his now beaming grin. "You gotta tell Seymour!"

Yuna smiled kindly, appreciating his elated response but shook her head shortly thereafter. "Before that…" she said. "Call Sir Jecht. Give it a try."

"Huh?" the blitzer inquired, perceiving the sweet encouraging glint in her eyes.

"Don't worry. He won't come." She claimed with soft reassurance.

But as Tidus looked out over the glen, he felt his chest tighten with austere wrath.

_"Trying not to think about my old man, made me think about him, of course."_

"See, told you!" Yuna cried with a smile, perceiving the empty space where Tidus' father should have been by now.

Tidus looked on in grim trepidation. _"He isn't here because he's not dead." _He thought. _"He's Sin."_ The very notion made him feel sick to the pit of his stomach.

"That means he's alive, you know?" Yuna continued brightly with a faint laugh.

_"What if my old man really is Sin?" _Tidus quizzed himself frantically. _"What would I say to Yuna… heck, to everybody in Spira?…Wait, why should **I **have to apologise for him, anyway?"_

"I'd rather never see him again." Tidus voiced aloud, clenching his fist in bitter resentment.

Yuna looked back to him in question. "What makes you hate him so?" Although she could never imagine how he felt about his father, she couldn't help but wonder what the reason was behind Tidus' hatred.

"Everything he does just makes me mad." The blitzer replied rapidly, ruffling his hair in frustration. "It was _his_ fault that me and my mother…"

He halted abruptly as a stray cluster of pyreflies swept up to the edge before them, creating the form of a young woman before his widening eyes.

"M-mom?" He quavered, staggering towards the familiar figure, now floating before them. She had the same brown hair, the same small frame as she always had: completely unchanged in over a decade. "I-it's her!" Tidus breathed eventually, quite unable to believe it.

"She's very pretty." Yuna observed good-naturedly, aiding him as he gradually became accustomed to the strange experience.

Tidus smiled broadly in reminiscence, it really had been a long time. "But… Wait. No one ever performed the sending for her." He said, gazing at the summoner suddenly in confusion.

"She must've accepted death while she was still alive." Yuna affirmed gently, staring up at the woman.

"Whoa there, that's my mother you're talking about." Tidus retorted defensively.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The summoner apologised, bowing her head.

"It's okay." Tidus returned calmly with a reassuring look in his eyes. Gazing back up to his mother, thinking of her; the memories of his childhood came flooding back to him… memories and realisations. "Hey, I think I just… figured something out…"

"What?" Yuna inquired.

Tidus stared down to the floor with a sudden gravity as it struck him. "…why I hate my old man." He grew silent as vague memories of his younger years became clearer to him, spelling out things he'd not understood, until now.

He remembered being at home in the houseboat, at almost seven years old. All day he'd been scribbling bright pictures on blank sheets of paper with chunky crayons. After completing one, which he was particularly proud of, entitled 'me and my mummy'; he scrabbled off to show her. It wasn't long before he found her, looking out over the vast expanse of the city… with him, Jecht.

_"See? So I told him what I thought of him, right there!" Jecht sneered boldly._

_"What? Really?" His wife breathed, staring at him in thrilled adulation._

_"'Course!" Jecht affirmed._

_"I suppose, but..." She stretched up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek._

_"Mommy!" Tidus squeaked excitedly, holding the doodled picture up from behind._

_"Just a sec, dear." She called, locking her attention firmly on Jecht and hardly acknowledging her son at all._

"Whenever my old man was around, my mother wouldn't even look at me. Maybe that's when I started to resent him, even hate him.

When he left us… Mom just lost her energy."

His mind flashed back to a time when his father had disappeared, he was eight then. Like always at times like these, Auron would show up. Tidus didn't know who or where the scarlet-clad man came from, but he was always there when things happened…

_"Is she alright?" A young Auron asked him with concern._

_"Why should you care?" Tidus retorted bitterly._

_"If she dies, I wouldn't know what to do!" Auron responded._

_Tidus clenched his small fist. "Don't say Mom is gonna die!" He cried desperately._

_"I apologise." The young warrior turned his back on the child and wandered off into the distance stiffly._

"The old lady next door told me when a lovebird dies, the one left behind… it just gives up living so it can join its mate. It was just like that. I hated my old man even more… but really, my old man-"

His previous recollection returned to him once more, showing him the whole picture, unlike before.

_"Mommy!" Tidus squeaked excitedly, holding up the doodled picture from behind._

_"Just a sec, dear." She called, locking her attention firmly on Jecht, hardly acknowledging her son at all._

_"Ah, go to him." Jecht sighed bluntly. "He'll cry if you don't."_

Tidus blinked, hearing his father's words ring clear in his mind: could it be that Jecht _had_ cared after all…?

"Oh, man…" He said, smacking himself upside the head. "I must sound so stupid!"

"I don't think so." Yuna replied softly, looking up at him with kind understanding.

"How embarrassing!" Tidus groaned, shrivelling into himself.

"Well? Need some more time?" A voice called out behind them suddenly.

The two of them spun round to find Wakka and Lulu standing right behind them.

"No, I'm ready." Yuna said solemnly in answer to Wakka's question.

"Did I miss something?" Lulu inquired with an insinuating smirk instantly perceiving Tidus' flushed cheeks.

The young blitzer laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, what was she getting at?

With that the group headed in the direction of the portal, which had now conveniently appeared ready for their use. Kimahri, who had been standing sentinel in the far distance, waited patiently for Yuna to reach him before leading her through its iridescent light. Lulu soon followed along with Wakka and Tidus, who no longer hesitated as its surface engulfed him. Upon arriving at the other side, the group bypassed a small gathering of Guado people at the top of the stair to join up with their missing comrades, who'd waited as patiently as Kimahri at the bottom for them to return.

"Thanks for waiting!" Yuna said with an appreciative smile as she halted before them. "I'll go give my answer to Maester Seymour."

Rikku rose to her feet, slowly followed by the tall warrior: Auron looked just about ready to head onwards, his time spent with the insatiable Al Bhed seemed like it was taking its toll on him.

Yet was only when the party was about to press onwards that a bloodcurdling shriek sounded from the top of the stair, chilling them to the core with its panic-stricken tone. Completely startled and caught off guard, the group swung round just in time to catch sight of a young Guado woman falling back in dismay. The other Guado with her jumped back also; shifting away from the portal, their hair stood on end with rooted terror. Suddenly a large withered hand burst out from the light covered disk, clawing the air frantically as its owner tried to force their way through.

"Lord Jyscal!" The Guado gasped in horror as an old wrinkled face slowly emerged above the hand, dripping in liquid ooze.

Yuna and the others watched in frozen disbelief as the old dead maester tried desperately to purge himself of the Farplane, writhing chaotically in the liquid mass that barred his way.

"He does not belong here." Auron declared, breaking the astounded silence with harsh gravity. "Yuna, send him!"

With a hurried nod, Yuna came to her senses and rushed to the top of the stair before the figure could escape. "Lord Jyscal…" she breathed in despair reaching out to touch his translucent hand, perceiving a strange rationality within his dark eyes.

"He is Lord Jyscal no more. Send him now!" Lulu cried, banishing the summoner's concern.

Raises her staff, Yuna obeyed and the figure, with her help, slowly dispersed into a small cloud of pyreflies, vanishing back into the Farplane where they belonged. Yet even as they did so a small trinket fell from Jyscal's body, evading the eyes of the others: a video sphere. Yuna fell to her knees and claimed the object before any could see and remained there, still stunned by the strange occurrence.

"Talk later. We leave now." Auron asserted breathlessly, bringing the company back to their senses.

Tidus turned quickly to catch the warrior clambering up from off the floor, where he'd been crouched down the whole time in a tight ball; he sure was acting strange today. Taking heed of his words, the company eventually descended down the stair with Yuna at the rear, all wondering silently how such a strange phenomenon could come about and why?

"Wha…what was that just now?" Wakka as always was the first to break the reticence as they marched back down the road from the Farplane. "Was that really Lord Jyscal?" He inquired with befuddled astonishment.

"Wait, I know!" Tidus interrupted, proud that he knew something. "He wasn't sent, so he became a fiend, right?"

"I would think that he _was_ sent once…" Lulu added pensively. "but he stayed on Spira. Something, a powerful emotion could have bound him to this world. Such things happen."

"That's against the rules isn't it?" Rikku quizzed scratching her head.

Auron looked ahead, his mind now filled with dark conjecture. "It means he died an unclean death…"

The company fell silent once more, falling into personal contemplation over his grim suggestion. Each one of them secretly fearing that the warrior was right…

Before long they reached the familiar sloping streets of Guadosalam. Following the leading steps of their summoner they soon found themselves standing before the crimson doors of the manor.

"I will go… meet with Maester Seymour." Yuna asserted, trying to conceal the deep binding anxiety that still troubled her within.

"Yuna!" Auron cried harshly as she turned to leave, stopping her abruptly in her tracks. "Jyscal is the Guado's problem, not yours." He could read her like a book.

The summoner faltered momentarily on his words, before finally vanishing behind the manor doors. What would transpire inside was anyone's guess.

With her disappearance the party disbanded, finding their own space to think quietly. Tidus, finding himself alone, wandered up to where Lulu had settled herself, overlooking everything on one of the higher pathways.

"Umm…" He began as he halted beside her, unsure of how to start a conversation with the world's snappiest woman.

"What?" She inquired, probing him immediately with her fierce eyes.

"So er, Lulu, what do _you_ think about Yuna getting married?" He asked eventually.

"As long as the pilgrimage continues, either way is fine." She said gravely, without batting so much as an eyelid.

"That's it?" Tidus questioned in surprise. "What if she doesn't even like the guy? Is _that_ okay?"

"People marry for many reasons.

"What's _that_ mean?" He asked, screwing his face up.

"Sometimes marriage doesn't require love, you know?" Lulu responded calmly. "Defeat Sin and bring joy to the people of Spira. Get married and bring joy to the people of Spira. For Yuna, they're just two ways down the same road. All you need is determination. If you have that, you don't need love."

"I don't know…" Tidus disagreed lightly with an intake of breath through gritted teeth. "I just don't get it."

"Hey, whatcha talking about?" Rikku chimed suddenly, trotting up to the pair curiously as she seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Marriage." Tidus sighed in answer to her inquisitive glance.

"I see…" the Al Bhed chirped, sliding up beside him with a mischievous grin.

Lulu immediately took this as a chance to take her leave of the duo, to Tidus it looked like one of her private little chats with Wakka was on the agenda.

"Say, _you_ ever think about getting married?" Rikku asked staring up at the blitzer as the mage departed from their company.

"Me?" He spluttered with a slight laugh. "No, never."

"I think about it a lot." The Al Bhed confessed with a soft grin.

Tidus raised his eyebrows quizzically. "Aren't you a little young?"

"Some people marry really young in Spira, you know." Rikku replied candidly, rocking on the balls of her feet.

"You mean people our age get married?" The blitzer questioned with a start.

"Yeah." She nodded frankly. "Fiends are around and there's always Sin, right? One of them might get you, you know? Lots of people marry the first person they fall in love with, just like that!" she said, cupping her hands to her ear dreamily. "I'll probably be the same way."

"Really." He voiced, folding his arms.

Rikku frowned. "Why, don't you want Yuna to get married?" she inquired, leaning into him as she detected a slight crabbiness in him all of a sudden.

"I dunno…well, no, not really." He murmured.

Rikku's mouth widened to its maximum as his reply registered in her ears. "Now's your big chance!" she cried in delight, nudging him hard with her elbow before dashing off frantically with mischievous grin.

"Hey!" Tidus called after her, stamping his foot as she galloped away. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" The blitzer made chase rapidly and caught the Al Bhed loitering casually by the fountain, acting as if she'd never said anything.

"Well _I_ want Yuna to get married." She affirmed, running her hands through the cool water as he approached, before he could even get a word in.

"Why?" He asked, forgetting for the moment why he'd chased her in the first place.

"…Because it's tough." She said with a small pout, screwing her face up somewhat.

"What is?"

"The pilgrimage." Rikku claimed, letting the water drip from her fingertips back down into the fountain. "In the end, she has to face Sin, you know?" Deep within her jade eyes welled a sudden sweet sadness, the same kind that Tidus had seen in her before entering the Farplane.

Somehow, he could see her point. Marriage _was_ an easier way to make the people of Spira happy… but as for Yuna marrying someone like Seymour, Tidus knew he could never embrace it.

To be continued…

_AN: Hello there! Well, what a chappie! I really hope you like it, although personally I think it seems kinda heavy. I think the biggest problem I had throughout was conveying Tidus' feelings about the Farplane and about the proposal. At this stage in the game he goes through various emotions and balancing them proved rather tricky. I didn't want him to sound like a wussy when was hesitant about the Farplane, or too eager at the same time. It didn't help matters either knowing that this stage of the game is extremely important to the development of Tidus' character. From Guadosalam onwards we see the growing maturity in him and the way he looks at things and evaluates them. I want my writing also to follow this 'growth'._

_At the beginning of the story I tried to keep it a bit playful, writing what Tidus saw through teenage eyes. And let's face it everyone, he is a bit of a moron at the beginning! Anyway as the story's gone on I've tried to incorporate this in the flow of writing and hopefully from now onwards it will slowly evolve into a graver story, reflecting Tidus himself._

_Now that I've got that off my chest, I want to mention my plans to create my forum. Knowing that I've neglected you for ages, I thought that this was a good way to make it up to you. At the moment I'm stuck for names though. Maybe you guys could suggest some names for me?_

_Anyway, I think that's all I've got to say for now. Cya!_

_Vogue Star_

_All reviews and forum name suggestions welcome!_


	16. The Thunder Plains

_Surprise!!. I'm back!! I'm soooo sorry for making you guys wait so long, I just hope you can forgive me. I won't make excuses for why I haven't written: it includes breakages and computers letting me down etc!!  
Here goes…..  
_

Chapter 16: The Thunder Plains

As their conversation of marriage dried up, Tidus fell back into deep thought. Unable to stop them, his azure eyes wandered back toward the tall manor doors that barred him from entry. Yuna was behind them, doing what he did not know. He wondered what she could be saying, what Seymour would make of her decline. Whatever the maester said was immaterial to Tidus however, he was sure Yuna was making the right decision. Although, he got the feeling that not everyone agreed with him on the matter. His eyes flickered over to where Lulu was standing, she was having one of her usual hushed discussions with Wakka. Unlike Tidus, she was willing to stick by Yuna no matter what her choice without dispute , she'd proved so in her brief in not somewhat harsh conversation with him minutes earlier. Her words echoed once more in his mind_…"…defeat Sin and bring joy to the people or Spira. Get married and bring joy to the people of Spira. For Yuna they're just two paths down the same road…. All you need is determination." _Tidus knew Yuna had plenty of that, maybe that's what'd kept him on edge over the whole issue.

"How fare you, Sir Guardian?" A soft voice suddenly uttered in surprise.

Awoken from his pensive state, he looked round startled in search of its owner. Amazingly, the blitzer set eyes on the last person he expected, Shelinda; the Yevonite who they'd met on their travels on the Mi'ihen Highroad, just before the disastrous Operation Mi'ihen.

"You look well." Tidus acknowledged, noting the difference in her colour from when she'd been in her distraught state on the Highroad. Although this time she was wetter than she was before, drenched almost.

She cocked her head to one side awkwardly upon hearing his words as if she weren't used to hearing compliments. "Why, thank you." She murmured quietly.

"So, what are you doing all the way over here?" Tidus inquired. "And what happened to you? Is it really raining that bad outside?"

"Oh, I'm on business for the temple. I'm helping out running errands for the grand maester!" She explained, her eyes lighting up excitedly at the mention of Mika. " And as for this, " She held her sodden robes out for him to see, now heavy with water, "I got caught with no shelter out on the Thunder plains on my way here."

Tidus was about to ask what this 'Thunder place" was but he was interrupted by a soft clattering by his side. Turning to investigate, he found that Rikku had adopted a strange self-hugging stance as she began to jiggle about on the spot nervously. Her little teeth were chattering vigorously as if she were caught in some ice cold gale.

"You cold?" Tidus quizzed with a grin.

Seeing that her spectacle had not gone unnoticed the Al Bhed laughed nervously, her cheeks flushing pink before scratching her golden head in embarrassment.

"Is the lady summoner not with you?" Shelinda continued looking about them, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

"No, she's up at Seymour's place." Tidus replied.

"That's _Lord_ Seymour or _Maester_ Seymour." Shelinda corrected with a soft chiding smile. Yet no sooner had she done so her face dropped quickly. "But the lord Seymour is not here!"

"What?"

"He and his entourage passed me on the Thunder Plains about fifteen minutes ago. I believe they were heading to Macalania temple. Lord Seymour is also the High Priest of that temple."

"Whoa, we gotta tell Yuna and the others!" Tidus exclaimed grabbing Rikku by the arm.

Rikku nodded quickly and sped off for the manor, letting Tidus give chase after a frantic thank you and goodbye to Shelinda. When they got there the summoner party had assembled together by the tall doors. They seemed restless, and judging by Auron's glaring demeanour, impatient, too.

Letting Tidus do the explaining, Rikku muscled her way through the several hunched guado at the entrance and began pounding her fists on the manor doors. "C'mon Yuna we're ready to go!!" She bellowed, not minding that the metal claw attached to her fist was scraping deep gouges in the smooth red-stained surface beneath it.

It wasn't long before she was seized and frogmarched back to her fellow guardians, wriggling ashamedly as she perceived their scolding stares.

Her clamour, however, had not gone unheard and moments later a loud scraping noise emitted from the entrance and the thick doors swung open. Yuna stepped out from within. Tidus instantly noticed a change in her; the dull clouding of her crystalline eyes, the pallor of her face. She looked almost drained. The party walked out to meet her and the inevitable questions started flying.

"What is it?" Auron interrogated before anyone could get a word in.

"Oh, it's… nothing." Yuna sighed, casting her hazed eyes downwards, avoiding his probing glance.

"Hmph!" He retorted bluntly, eyeing her askance. "You're a poor liar."

Yuna stared up in surprise, her face now blenched as she now lay in the line of fire with all her guardians watching. "It's true. It's nothing!" She assured firmly, looking him in the eye.

"They say Seymour went to Macarena temple." Tidus butted in in a deliberate attempt to hinder Auron's vicious assault.

"That's _Macalania _Temple.!" Wakka corrected with a smirk.

" Oh, right, yeah…" Tidus mumbled realising his mistake and taking a playful blow to the ribs from Rikku, who found his faux-pas highly amusing.

"Then it is settled." Lulu put in, restoring the solemnity. "We were heading for Macalania temple anyway, it's two birds with one stone. Yuna, shall we?"

The summoner started off, striding quickly to the lowest level of the Guado town. She held her head low, her eyes distant as if in deep, binding thought. Tidus had gotten used to her bring this way, but this time something felt wrong. It was almost as if she were hiding something… He was quick to dismiss the thought, Yuna wasn't the type to do such things. Or was it just that Auron's suspicion was rubbing off on him? Either way Tidus didn't like it.

He followed Yuna's lead down a steep, root-covered tunnel, mottled and dark green in colour, leaving Guadosalam and the mysterious Farplane behind him. The air within was dense and heavy, its rancid reek of damp was so thick Tidus felt as if it were sticking to his very skin. Tangled shafts of blurred light shot from tiny holes in the roof, illuminating their way as they strode closer to the exit, now completely enmeshed in the overbearing swell of the place. Cool blasts of air joined them, passing over his face softly, satiating his thirst to get out of that stifling place. But he was to soon learn that maybe being in Guadosalam wasn't so bad after all.

It started softly at first, a tiny pitter-patter sound, like water drizzling lazily from a tap. Gradually as the air drifting over his skin got colder, the noise grew louder, and louder and louder; until it was almost unbearable, like the thudding of war drums on the onset of battle. Before he knew it the tunnel opened out like a great wide mouth as if it had been ripped out by some terrific force; and it was upon them.

Stretching out before them as far as the eye could make out was a vast dark plain. Void of light and life, the Thunder plains greeted them with nefarious glee, purging any last thought of hope from their minds with its disconsolate landscape. Its ground surface was comprised completely of tough bronzed rock which housed a strange shimmering sheen like that of hardened resin. Some great heat or force had caused it to set like this, some tremendous power that commanded the land. Peppered around and about the plain were great wide craters, where some impact of colossal power had scarred the land so ferociously that it had burst the very surface asunder. Some were deep enough even to swallow a man if he were to venture close enough, or drown him as the case may be; for all of them were brimming with water. The torrential rains hammering down from the pitch-clouded sky filled them ceaselessly, forming a immeasurable myriad of pools. The whole place seemed so extra-terrestrial in appearance, so extreme that it was almost surreal that such a place existed in Spira.

Yet, despite its inhospitable nature, there were several signs of previous human activity present; namely in the form of huge dilapidated towers that rose up every now and then at strange intervals along the plain. Man-made structures they were; tall and menacing. Each one coloured a virulent brown though age and weathering. Scanning as many as he could, Tidus could see that not a single one was fully intact. Most seemed to have been melted severely at the very peak as if some blazing inferno had been kindled upon them, lighting them up like great, tall beacons. Yet, it was only then that their purpose became known…

Without warning amidst the hammering rain, the heavens awoke. A terrific roar reverberated out over the plains, so chillingly deep that it shook the company's very bones. Quaking beneath the wrath of the sky, they could only watch as the sable miasma overhead illuminated electric blue, churning angrily above them. A thick stroke of lightning belted rapidly from its core whipping the tip of the nearest tower with a painful crack so loud that they were almost deafened. A shower of blinding sparks blasted out as the impact took place, spewing over towards the mouth of the tunnel and forcing the party to shield their eyes from the vicious onslaught.

"Great," Tidus enthused sarcastically shaking his head in vain attempt to regain his vision. "how are we supposed to cross _that_?" Saying so, he wondered how on earth Shelinda had achieved such a feat, alone, too.

"See the lightning rod towers?" Lulu quizzed, motioning to the tower that was scolded severely seconds earlier. "The lightning should be attracted to them rather than us… hopefully."

Another screaming bolt emerged from the sky, finding its aim even closer than the one previously and exploding with a triumphant boom. Rikku squealed out in surprise, clapping her hands over her ears defensively.

"I, er, think I forgot something in Guadosalam…" She backed off with a nervous laugh knitting her fingers together anxiously.

Auron met her with a disgruntled frown. "Hmph, nice knowing you."

Rikku swooned back as if physically injured at his biting comment. "Okay, okay, I'll go!" she whined, now realising that from the looks on the others' faces they weren't willing to tarry any longer than necessary.

"Alright, we move out," Wakka hailed, not letting the horrific weather get his spirits down. "not too near and not too far from the towers, ya?"

"But, we must also stay on our guard." Auron warned, dampening Wakka's enthusiasm. "The fiends here are…unnatural as fiends go. The lightning: they are drawn to it like moths to flame. Enticed by its power, they gorge on it; allowing it to pump their bodies with its limitless energy. There is only one substance that the fiends here price higher than the lightning: the blood of the living. Now, more than ever we must be vigilant, and make it across the plains as quickly as possible." Seemingly unnerved by his own discouraging divulgence, Auron ventured out into the storm, letting it swallow him whole in a siege of ice-cold tears.

The others were soon to follow, irrespective of whether they were going to get wet. Tidus was impressed by his thick-skinned companions, braving the storm without so much as a hood.

Tidus stared up at the despondent grey sky that glowered back at him so repugnantly and wondered what time of day it was; if it really was daytime at all. He'd been inside and underground so long that being out in the open felt so strange to him. He almost felt as though he was exposed to nature, as it were. Either way he still had to venture out under it, accepting its tirade of abuse. Slinging his small hood over his head, he took a deep breath of the cold, stale air and tramped out into the unknown with Rikku close behind, unusually close.

The heavens groaned wrathfully in warning sending a hail of skin-shredding rain in their direction. It was bone-chillingly cold, colder than Tidus could have imagined. He felt his hands freeze inside his leather gloves as the watery onslaught pounded away at them, blurring their vision as they weaved cautiously around the scattered pools, keeping a safe proximity between themselves and the towers.

Every now and then, Tidus would force himself to glance up taking full force of the rain in order to check on the others. Always before him, Yuna marched on briskly with Kimahri at her side for support. Through his water-distorted vision, she looked like a phantom veiled in white gliding along before him; her white cloak provided by Lulu completely saturated.

They'd only trailed out a few hundred metres over the misanthropic plains, but to Tidus it felt like they'd been walking for miles. His feet grew heavier and heavier as the water poured ceaselessly into his boots, making him feel like he had two slimy quagmires for feet. And as ever the deep guttural growl of the thunder overhead cried out, forcing them ever onwards. Suddenly, without warning a sharp lightning stroke shot down before them, barring their way momentarily. Had it been any other lightning bolt the company would've continued on regardless, but this one was different.. A dark shape resided within it. Tidus could barely make it out at the flash faded. All he saw were two demon-red eyes glaring out at him maliciously before the bolt disappeared altogether.

"What was that-?"

The blitzer felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as he was interrupted by a low grating growl tat emanated from behind. So low that it reverberated through his chest cavity making the blood run cold. Turning to set eyes on their assailant, the bolt flashed once more, zipping out of sight before reappearing in its original position some way before them. The cold ringing of steel cut through the air; Auron's steel. Tidus twinned it with his own as the unknown creature glowered in the distance. No sooner had he done so, it vanished again.

"Hmph, it's toying with us. Assessing us from a distance before it makes its move." Auron stated darkly, throwing his crimson robe aside. Standing ahead of the group, he scanned the area about them closely. With shocking speed, he suddenly lunged to the right, his blade quivering as it seemed to strike an invisible entity.

From the noise that erupted forth, it seemed that it was not happy Auron had anticipated it whereabouts. Shrieking wildly, the creature unveiled itself, rage steaming from every pore.

It was a fiend notorious throughout Spira: the thunder drake. Towering horrifically tall, the formidable dragon-fiend glared down on them through blood-shot eyes, its bulbous face etched with deep battle scars. Strands of thick, green, gelatinous saliva oozed from its gaping jaws; each teeming with razor-sharp teeth. Shuddering slightly, it pounded its thick front legs into the hard ground, driving its claws in deep; never taking its scathing eyes from the party. A truly heinous sight to behold.

With a foreboding gurgle it suddenly reared back its mighty head and launched a thick glob of fluorescent mucus towards them. The glutinous missile met Wakka's feet instantly with a sickening squelch, bonding them to the ground with its glue-like consistency. Within it, jumbled together, were the mangled remains of fiends and the like, their bones charred and stripped of flesh. The party reeled back in surprise as Wakka squirmed on the spot, almost losing his balance as he struggled to free his feet. The stench of its heated gut-liquor pervaded through the air, making the islander turn green in repulsion as it met his nostrils. Yet his efforts to free himself from it were in vain as he was well and truly bolted to the spot. Before he knew with he was doing, Tidus reciprocated the creature's attack and drove his shimmering blade down upon the back of its tough-scaled neck. An ear-shattering clang rang out as the two met, before the dark scales burst asunder exposing the soft tissue underneath. The drake howled as the black blood spurted from the fresh, gaping wound, sending it into a wild fury.

Flicking its shuddering snout up like some enraged bull, it bowled the blitzer over, sending him flying backwards to crack his head on the tower now closely behind. Unsatisfied by Tidus' downfall, it plunged wildly towards the group, galloping insanely, forcing the long strings of saliva to stick to its face in its haste. Lulu, Yuna and Rikku parted quickly diving aside as the incensed fiend reached them. Only Kimahri was left to stand his ground. With spear poised he aimed for the beast, which impaled itself instantly in the mouth as it collided into him. The party stopped momentarily for breath as the drake seemed to weaken; foul blasts of green froth spurting from its quivering jaws.

Suddenly, to their dismay, the creature's eyes seemed to light up maniacally and a strange hissing noise began to emit from within it. The acid now brewing in its gut was melting the tip of Kimahri's spear, filling the air with noxious stench. Kimahri, realising this, ripped the weapon from the beast's oesophagus tearing away at one side in a last attempt to inflict maximum damage. At the same time, Auron slashed down drake's tail severing it completely. A boiling torrent of blood gushed from the horrific wound, amalgamating with the bitter rain as it drenched the ground. Tidus staggered to his feet, nursing his throbbing head. Through blurry, rain-filled eyes he could see the amputated limb still thrashing about wildly as if it had a life of its own.

Then suddenly, another earth shattering cry rang out over the plains. But this time it was different, as clear as a silver bell and enchanting it seemed. He observed Yuna now standing alone in the midst of battle, her staff held aloft. A pang of desperation shot through him like a poisoned dart and he ventured to rush toward her but the strong arm of Auron prevented him from doing so.

"Wait."

Tidus obeyed reluctantly, growing more anxious every second the fiend glared at her, dark malevolence in its eyes. In a blinding flash, a huge thundering emblem forged of lightning flame materialised before her; rippling with intense power. With a mighty crash the insignia shattered into a thousand shards of shimmering light and a gargantuan creature leapt out from within the tumult: an Aeon.

It was Ixion, the thunder Aeon of Djose Temple. This majestic beast took on the form of a grandiose stallion armed with a sickle shaped horn that stuck out menacingly on the bridge of its muzzle. Wild sparks danced and leapt to and fro along it wiry mane, colouring it an dazzling blue.

With frightening speed, the Aeon reared up onto its hind legs before slamming its diamond hard hooves down fiercely, shaking the very ground. An uncontrollable wrath seemed to wake within the steed as the drake stared unblinking and slavering before it. Balancing itself out on all fours the Aeon began to breathe deeply as the rain hammered down, shooting sparks off its back. The sky blackened, growling uncomfortably as the black clouds swirled overhead. From deep within the core of the sky a monstrous bolt zapped down straight towards them. The Aeon took full force of it, drawing it in through its horn, as if it were drinking the very lifeblood of the plains. Double quick, the aeon reared up and blasted the powered bolt at the drake, paralysing it as the super-charged lightning enveloped its body. Within seconds the fiend's scales began to blast apart, cracking under the enormous pressure and heat. Satisfied its job was well done, Ixion retreated to whence it came, vanishing to nothingness, leaving behind a perfectly formed brown resin statue of a drake.

Silence followed as Tidus and Rikku stared in awe at the newly born effigy. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, the Al Bhed ventured to place her hand gingerly on its wet surface, but as soon as she did so the statue dissipated into a pile of ashes, leaving no trace of the creature behind.

"We move on." Auron ambled onwards, unmoved by the spectacle, as if seen it a thousand times. Quickly the others followed, that was as soon as they'd freed Wakka's feet, however. He fell backwards in relief as the slimy gel broke down, letting him free. He seemed all too happy to allow the rain in his sandals as he strode alongside the others, the sooner it washed his feet of the stench, the better.

The thunder, unlike the fiend, could not be quelled however. It was back a vengeance no sooner had they moved on. Louder than before, now sending hails of lightning storming down. The bolts would join collectively into vast tingling forks and crash down all at once sounding more like atom bombs like anything else. Gaining in courage once more they got closer, ever yearning to strike a member of the company down. But the lust for the towers was too much for them, and they always missed, enveloping the nearest tower with carnal fire. Skin-shredding sparks flew overhead, barely missing the party as they jumped aside.

"Whoa, that was a close one!" Wakka cried out with a laugh, he'd seemed to have gotten over his close encounter with vomit quickly.

Lulu, however, was not impressed with hi progress. "Stop kidding around!" she scolded with an admonishing stare.

"Yes, ma'am." He recoiled, growing serious.

Despite having an aching head, Tidus chuckled to himself at Wakka's countenance, at how he cowered like a puppy under the might of Lulu.

"Hehehe…."

A nervous giggle from behind caught his attention suddenly. Turning, he found Rikku crouched low on the ground behind him. She was huddled tight in a ball, her face hidden from view.

"Heheheh…."

This time the others heard. They watched her, completely perplexed as she crouched there, completely ensconced within herself.

"Er… Rikku?" Tidus began, struggling to make himself heard over the rain.

"Heheheh…" She started to rock to and fro.

"You're giving me the creeps!" He spluttered, staggering back. But his attempt to move away was in vain as the young girl launched herself at him like a demon possessed, grabbing hold of his leg tightly.

"Whoa!!"

"Don't leave me!" She cried, burying her head in his leg. "I hate lightning, I hate thunder!!"

He could feel her little body quaking all over.

"Let's rest over there. Pretty please…" She begged, huddling against him.

Tidus looked over where she'd motioned. Nestled under a lightning-rod tower, virtually camouflaged was a small domed building. A coloured yellow sign hung over its entrance, it read; 'Drihtan Bmyehc Dnyjam Ykalo.'

"Well? What now?" Tidus inquired, turning to Auron with a grin.

"We move on." The man returned bitterly, "we've come this far without stopping, any hindrance will only delay us longer. The sooner we get out of this place, the better."

Rikku sank, she clambered up using Tidus as a support pole, her face etched with upheaval.

The party moved on, but Rikku kept a close distance to Tidus clawing at him at the slightest sound of thunder. The blitzer couldn't believe she'd come this far and was that terrified.

She remained quiet after that. So quiet that Tidus though she'd given up on trying. But the Al-Bhed could not succumb to her fear. As soon as the party passed the welcoming door of the building, she dived towards it like a cat pouncing on a bird taking Tidus with her. Auron sneered at her childish attempt, and carried on walking, forcing the others to follow.

"You big meanies!!" Rikku cried after them.

They took no heed.

"How can you do this me?"

Still no reaction.

"You're evil. Cruel. Your mother's would be ashamed of you!"

Silence.

"I might get eaten by fiends, you know!"

Auron stopped abruptly. It hadn't taken long for her to rile him. "Fine! We'll stay." He grumbled in exasperation. "She's worse than the storm!" He dragged himself back, wrenched open the solid doors and threw himself heavily into the nearest chair available to him.

The light filtering out from inside looked warm and inviting, the company were all too happy to follow him. Rikku scampered in, leaving a trail of water behind her where the rain had drizzled down her ponytail. She settled herself in front of Auron, pouting with her arms folded.

A large fire roared loudly in the hearth, crackling excitedly as the rest of the company bundled in. The place was very homely looking. Carpeted in red with soft cream walls. Several brown leather armchairs were scattered around a low standing table in front of the blazing-red fire. In the very middle at the back was a wide counter where young Al-Bhed woman was seated, casually flicking through a book that was littered with strange scrawl that Tidus couldn't read, let alone understand.

"I'm a little tired." Yuna voiced quietly, slinging her hood back. The edges of her hair were sodden and tangled. Her face looked drained still as she wandered up to the counter. "Do you have a room available?"

The Al-Bhed looked up with a smile. "Of, course Lady Summoner." she said, clearly recognising her. "Just down the corridor to the right."

"Thank you." Yuna breathed tiredly, before silently taking her leave of guardians.

Wakka and Lulu exchanged meaningful glances at her sudden disappearance.

"It's not like her." Tidus heard Lulu utter quietly. And she was right, it wasn't…

Tidus felt the need to investigate, his curiosity had been peaked, as had his natural concern. But as soon as the summoner had gone, Kimahri stomped over to the mouth of the corridor, guarding it with ferocious devotion.

"Yuna is resting. Go away!" He warned as Tidus neared him.

Tidus recoiled feigning innocence, "Whoa, I was just looking around, man." He patted the Ronso on the arm playfully, although he got the feeling that Kimahri wasn't convinced by his act. He slinked away, knotting his disquiet up inside him. His concern would have to wait.

Having nothing else to do, he joined the others where they were drying themselves by the fire. Wakka and Rikku were already revelling in telling each other ghost stories by the time her reached them. It seemed the pair of them got on better by the minute, they shared the same enthusiasm, the same love for life. Lulu and Auron were similar also, but in different ways. Both sat silent with drawn faces, one would think that with their sullen demeanours they'd just been to a funeral. But Tidus understood Lulu's worry at least, it was the same as his: Yuna. He passed on the chance to question her about the summoner though, as he got the feeling she might bite his head off.

A warning bolt of thunder clattered out above, silencing the room suddenly. Rikku shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"Are you really _that_ scared?" Tidus quizzed slouching down beside her.

"Uh-huh." she squeaked, before hiding herself again as another bolt screamed down outside. "When I was little a fiend attacked me when I was swimming at the beach." she explained, regaining her composure. "My brother tried to beat it back with a spell. But he hit me instead!! It was a thunder spell….Bzzzzzzt!!!!"

"Ouch." Tidus winced.

She cowered again, hugging herself. "I've been scared of thunder ever since."

"Magic is effective against marine fiends." Lulu interjected.

"My brother said that, too."

"You should learn some spells, too."

The thunder suddenly wailed out loudly forcing Rikku to scream and clap her hands over her ears.

A faint smile painted itself over Lulu's lips, "Maybe later."

It was then that Tidus realised Kimahri had changed position. He'd moved over to the front window by the door and was staring out as if in a daze. Tidus reckoned that this was his chance t explore.

"I'm, er, just going to find the bathroom." he sighed casually, heaving himself up. Thankfully the others paid no heed to him as he sidled off down the passageway, wondering what he could find in this strange place. A bed would be nice.

Waltzing down the corridor he found himself faced with a myriad of doors. Eight were scattered either side as the passage veered off slowly off to the left. He wondered which room Yuna was in. She was probably asleep by now, and by the way he was clunking his feet down he would wake an entire army. Quietening his footfalls, he padded to the very end only to curse himself silently when he got there for every door was shut and he didn't know which was occupied and which wasn't. He wasn't going to risk opening one of the doors. Annoyed with himself for not asking at the reception counter, he turned back, but a strange utterance nearby suddenly stopped him in his tracks. Hushed voices emanated from the room beside him, the very last room in the passageway. Going on the fact that this was the only room with a 'do not disturb' sign on the latch, he figured that Yuna was in there. But it wasn't the fact that there was a voice coming from the room that made him apply his eye hastily to the keyhole. It was the fact that the voice was male.

Squinting, he tried desperately to peep in, but the size and angle of the keyhole prevented him from doing so. He shifted over, pushing his face closer to the wood panelling, and rested his hand on the latch as he scanned the interior, all the while listening for the strange voice once more. As he did so the door gave way before him, swinging open as his weight pushed it, and he fell in, tumbling head over heels.

A startled gasp rang out as the door burst open. Tidus shook his hair out of his eyes, bewildered as he sat there on the bare wood floor. Looking up, he perceived Yuna standing there aghast. The room in which she was in was sparsely furnished with only a bed, a pine table and chair. But it weren't these objects that caught his attention. Upon the table was a small blue video sphere. An old worn holograph video of a guado man was playing, he looked strikingly familiar, but for the moment Tidus couldn't place him.

Yuna swiped hold of the sphere hastily, fumbling for the off switch before trying desperately to hide it away from him. But it was too late, he'd already seen. "Y-yes?" she quavered.

Tidus staggered to his feet clumsily remembering his intrusion. "I-I'm sorry. I, er, shouldn't have come in!"

An awkward silence followed as she clutched the sphere tightly to her chest. Tidus didn't know what to do, he stepped back in an attempt to leave, but a sudden realisation prevented him from doing so.

"Say, wasn't that that Jyscal guado guy?" He asked intrigued as he tried to catch another glimpse of the sphere.

Yuna looked dismayed, but grew solemn shortly thereafter for it was too late to hide it from him. "Mmm." she began reluctantly. "The sphere is his will. It says, 'Take care of my son.'"

"His son?" Tidus thought for a while. "You mean Seymour?"

She nodded.

Tidus folded his arms distastefully at the thought of Seymour. "Well, I know one way to take care of him!" He sneered.

Yuna eyed him closely, a deep sadness welled within her gaze, "I'm sorry." With that she fled from the room.

Tidus watched in amazement. Sorry for what? He turned to give chase but a strong muscled arm caught him by the neck and swung him hard into a headlock.

"Just whaddya thin you're up to, eh?" Wakka exclaimed, tightening his grip.

Tidus choked, "Yuna was acting funny, so--"

"Yeah, yeah!" Wakka retorted. "She'll tell us when she's ready so hold your chocobos 'til then, ya?"

"Okay, okay! Alright, alright!" Tidus writhed weakly in the bulky grasp of his companion like a worm on a fisherman's hook.

Wakka released him instantly on his agreement, and met him with a wide grin.

"Did you really have to hold me _that_ tight?" Tidus complained rubbing his neck. Along with his head, his list of ailments was growing.

"Sure, have to make you learn your lesson somehow!" Wakka chuckled, flexing his arms. "C'mon, Rikku's got the owner to get us some food. Dunno how she did it but there's loads out there. Some kinda foreign stuff. I dunno what it is, but it sure smells good!"

Tidus stood his ground, he didn't feel like eating at all. Just what was going through her mind? What was she sorry about? What had she done? Or, what was she going to do…?

"Hey," Wakka said, throwing his big arm around the blitzer's shoulder. "If it's any consolation, I know how you feel. As guardians, our job is to protect; just that. It's kinda hard not to do just that though, eh? We're meant to let the summoner make the decisions, even if we feel they're not right. But that's how it is. Yuna's just going through a bad patch at the moment… she has a lot to think about, a lot of responsibility. And so do we. Who knows what's going through her head, now? I don't and I've known her a long time. You're best not brooding over things you don't know everything about."

"You're right…" Tidus sighed reluctantly.

"C'mon, let's go get some food, I'm starving!" Wakka pulled Tidus along out of the room and back into main seating area where the others were happily eating, even Auron.

Tidus slumped down beside the others, feeling altogether lethargic, he simply wasn't in the mood for anything like this. He helped himself to a few morsels but barely touched them. Wakka on the other hand was unstoppable, he dived in there, filling his plate with a whole range of different items.

"Mmm, this is good! What's it called again, Rikku?" he murmured in between mouthfuls.

"I, er, I dunno." Rikku stuttered, hesitating to give its Al-Bhed name, and also hesitating to reveal that he was dining on chocobo testicle; a fine Al-Bhed delicacy. She shared her comical secret with Tidus, who managed a smile, even if it was at Wakka's expense.

That night Tidus retired early. He felt mentally and physically drained from the days events and his head had begun to throb once more. Making it impossible for him to endure company even if he wanted to. Taking his leave of his fellow guardians, he left for the room that had been selected for him, one across the hall from Yuna's. With a great effort, he hauled himself in and kicked his boots off before slinging himself down on the soft mattress.

The rain had calmed somewhat now that night was drawing in. But nevertheless it continued to fall, tapping delicately upon the roof above. He watched the droplets trickle their lazy paths down the window pane by his bed side, before they ran out of energy and died. The flowing watery patterns left behind created a reflection of the confused trails in his mind, reminding him of home, where the glass walls of the stadium, spotted with water, twinkled in golden light of the setting sun before the onset of a big blitz game. He wondered what the people back in Zanarkand were doing, what had happened after Sin attacked. He wondered about Sin, about his father, his mother. The speckled droplets entertained his gaze until he drifted off, falling into timeless sleep. A place where he felt most at home.

Dawn broke with the triumphant sound of reverberating thunder. Tidus arose and stretched with a yawn. He glanced out of the window at the billowing grey clouds overhead, filled with rain and drew a deep breath knowing he and the others had to brave the storm once more. With a final yawn, he tramped out of his room meeting some of the others in the main room. Wakka was complaining of a bad night's sleep due to stomach ache, and Lulu was teaching Rikku some basics on the arts of black magic, making sure she stayed clear of the thunder element, for now. Kimahri and Auron were by the door, both looking eager to go and Yuna was in the corner by the window, staring out silently. Her mood it seemed had not changed since. Whatever was bothering her was still bothering her now.

After stocking up on some well needed items the company was all set to head out, all except Rikku. She tarried at the back of the group slowly, hoping they would somehow be delayed in leaving.

" I, erm, can't we stay just a bit longer? We haven't had breakfast yet!" she squealed in a desperate attempt.

Auron turned to her with a tired sigh. " You want to stay here? Then, fine. We're leaving." He swung open the doors, revealing the omnipotent plains and stepped out into the beyond.

"Hey, you could at least say something comforting. Y'know, try to cheer me up!" she whined out into the rain. "You just don't get me at all, do you?"

Auron didn't answer, either that or he was feigning he didn't hear.

"Hey, are you listening?" she shouted, marching out boldly "Well, I'm not scared, you hear?"

The other followed, knowing that at any second she'd come running back, and she did. But it was too late for her to linger, she kept to the middle of the group beside Kimahri and Yuna, shrivelling away every time the thunder made itself known.

Now that they were on the other side of the plain, the fiends paid less attention to them. Only a few bothered them, namely elementals which were easily dealt with by Lulu and her vast knowledge of magicks. Soon, on the line of the horizon a hazy shadow rose up before them, a dense wood it seemed. In the light, the foliage of the trees seemed to glow a glittering, dusty blue and their trunks seemed to sparkle as if they were made of shimmering crystal.

It was then that the silent Yuna stopped and began to speak.

"Everyone… wait…" she said gravely, bowing her head low.

"What's up?" Wakka asked.

"I have something to tell you."

"Here?" Lulu quizzed.

"We're almost out of here!" Rikku exclaimed, "Let's go!"

"I have to say it now!" She declared steadfastly.

"Right," Auron nodded, "over there." He motioned to a nearby tower, it had a partial roof clothing its lower half like the fan of a mushroom. "We go under there for shelter."

Tidus didn't like the frailty in her steps towards that tower, the gravity in her voice.

"_Somehow, my bad feelings always come true…"_

He watched in dismay as she uttered the words he didn't want to hear, the words he dreaded she'd say.

She inhaled shakily. "I've decided to marry."

"I thought so." Lulu nodded soberly.

"B-but why? Why'd you change your mind?" Wakka quizzed, his voiced filled with what seemed to be a mixture of confusion and concern.

"For Spira's future… and Yevon's unity." She replied. "I thought it would be the best thing to do…" Her words fell heavy from her mouth as if she were taking a great effort to say them. Deep within her eyes was a guilt-plagued sorrow, as if she felt as though she was letting them all down.

"That's not good enough." Auron cut in.

"Wait, is it… Is it because of Lord Jyscal?" Lulu questioned suddenly as the thought seemed to catch her.

"Hey! That sphere!" Tidus staggered forward, unable to hold his peace over what he'd seen the night before.

Auron's eyes dazzled a wild mahogany, "Show me." He said approaching her closely.

"I can't." The summoner recoiled. "I must speak to Maester Seymour first. I truly am sorry, but this is… It is a personal matter." she held her arms closed over her chest, looking mortally wounded as her words fell painfully from her lips.

"You're kidding, ya?" Wakka cried.

Auron turned back, "As you wish."

"I'm sorry." she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Just one thing--" he continued.

"I won't quit my pilgrimage." she returned, anticipating what he was to say.

"Then it is… fine."

"Wait a minute, Auron!" Tidus exclaimed grabbing the tall man by the shoulders as he ventured to turn away once more. "You don't care? I mean, you're not going to stop her?" he cried desperately, unable to stop his emotions from gushing out.

"No, I'm not." The man replied gravely, looking him in the eye as the summoner viewed Tidus' reaction from afar. "As long as she is willing to face Sin… all else is her concern." he continued. "That is a summoner's privilege. As long as she journeys."

Tidus glanced over to where Wakka and Lulu were standing. His heart pumped fiercely in his chest as he perceived their nods in agreement to Auron's statement. He released his hold on the man. A swell of embittered frustration seized him instead.

"But that's…" He couldn't contain his pent up exasperation and ended up finishing his sentence with a vexed grunt of disapproval.

"Yuna, just one question." He heard Wakka say amidst his flurried state. "Can't you just _talk_ to Maester Seymour? You got to marry him?"

Tidus watched through pain-stricken eyes as she searched in vain for her answer.

"I don't know…" she whispered unsure. " But I think it is the right thing to do…"

"Okay, I guess." Wakka exhaled, shrugging his shoulders in acceptance.

"Yunie…" Rikku plunged forward uneasily grabbing Yuna by the shoulders gently. The thunder clapped overhead suddenly, sending a flashing bolt over them noisily. "Quiet!!" The Al-Bhed shouted, before turning back to Yuna, her jade eyes alight with unrest. "I wish we could help somehow, some way!" she said softly.

Yuna took hold of her hand, "it's okay… I'll be fine." she said stammering slightly. Her gaze now dull with the weight of her new burden.

_She says, "I'm sorry",  
He says, "It's fine".  
She's "willing" to face Sin. She's "privileged" .  
I didn't understand.  
But somehow, I felt like I didn't belong.  
But if I didn't belong with them, I'd be stuck in Spira, alone.  
And being alone in that place, well, I didn't want to think about it._

"Next we're going to Macalania temple." Auron began again. "Yuna can talk with Seymour there. We guardians will wait until they're done, and plan our next move. Understood?" His gaze rested on Tidus as the others nodded in agreement. He, however, remained motionless. The rest of the plains lay ahead of them and the wood leading to Macalania temple was just beyond.

To be continued…


	17. Accepting Fate

_Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter and thank you to those who are adding me their fave list! Here we go, ch17!_

Chapter 17: Accepting Fate.

As the party moved on over the remainder of the plains, Tidus' mind was awash with confusion. Now, after he thought one issue was resolved, he was plagued once more with a deep questioning.

'Why?'

Yet again, nothing made sense.

Here they were in the middle of what was to be the most important journey of Yuna's life and yet she wanted to delay her ultimate goal of defeating Sin to marry Seymour! Why the change of heart now, after the pilgrimage was back on track? If defeating Sin was so imperative, why did she want to delay? He didn't understand.

Yuna was smart enough to know what she was doing, he knew that. But deciding to marry Seymour, after all she'd said on the Farplane about doing what everyone else wanted! Was she out of her mind? He thought back to the sphere in which Jyscal spoke:

'_Take care of my son…' _

She couldn't _really_ be marrying Seymour to just take care of him, could she? There had to be another reason… Tidus fought with himself over the agonising conclusion he was about to make. There really was only one other reason, and it hit him hard . She was in love with Seymour.

The storm's wrath had quelled by the time they reached the Macalania Woods. Tidus, from the moment his musings had begun, had wandered behind the group with scarcely an upward glance; the distance between him and them growing larger by the second. It was only when a strange, saccharine scent enveloped him, that he actually realised they were out of the plains.

Rikku was the first to dip under the thick shimmering canopy of the forest, mopping her brow in relief as she mounted the tree-lined walkway, that unfolded before them like an outstretched hand. Wakka and Lulu were soon to follow her, as were Kimahri and Yuna. Tidus continued to trail behind them at a distance, taking no particular heed to his new surroundings.

"You're worried about Yuna."

A familiar voice roused him from his disquieted state; the low sombre tones of Auron. He approached suddenly from the side of the path, taking the blitzer quite by surprise as he'd barely noticed he was there. Yet, as he did advance, Tidus observed a dark glow in his deep eyes as if the man had already read all that was going on in his mind.

"'Course I'm worried about her!" Tidus replied with a sigh. "What is she thinking?"

Auron folded his arms astutely. "The simplest answer would be… in exchange for agreeing to marry him she hopes to negotiate with Seymour…"

"Negotiate what?"

Auron glanced away to the side, his eyes glimmering in thought. "I wonder…" He began to stroll off a short distance.

"What? All by herself?" Tidus asked blinking, not waiting for Auron to reach a conclusion.

The man laughed abruptly in dispute. "She's strong, but Seymour is the better negotiator."

"Well then, why don't we do something about it?" Tidus suggested, throwing his arms behind his head.

"Yuna wants it this way." Auron replied, looking to him sharply.

Tidus grunted in frustration "I just don't get it! Doesn't she trust us?"

Auron shook his head in disagreement. "On the contrary… she doesn't want us caught up in whatever it is she's planning."

Tidus exhaled heavily. "Yeah, that's what I thought. But that makes me worry even more. She could just tell us."

"That's the way she is." Auron explained. "She's naïve, serious to a fault, and doesn't ask for help."

"You're probably right."

"Yuna's easy to read." Auron admitted with a strange smile.

Tidus paused for a moment, surprised at how discerning his fellow guardian actually was. "Yeah, she is."

"But hard to guard." Auron finished regaining his composure, before striding away up the path that lay ahead. His words rang through the blitzer clear and strong, their significance he would only realise some time later. "Stand by her, always."

Tidus nodded. He finally understood the _real_ meaning behind Yuna's words in the travel agency. She was sorry because she knew Tidus would not approve of her changing her mind; she was sorry because she was thinking of him…

He sighed inwardly feeling the pent up frustration inside him float away, only to be replaced with a pang of guilt as he looked up the path toward her location wishing he'd realized her motive sooner.

Slowly, he ambled after Auron up along the path, his eyes now unclouded to the mystifying beauty surrounding him. At either side rose trees of great proportion. The very surface of their thick trunks seemed to his eyes to be in the likeness of frosted glass, misted and glistening. Enthralled, he looked closer, staring at the shallow notches engrained in the surface, so intricate they were that it seemed they'd been carved by hand not woven by nature; all swirling following every contour the trees had taken. Leaves of satin and velvet poured down from the wide overhanging boughs, casting their feathery shadows over the crystalline ground beneath.

He looked up. Tempted by their soft-looking texture, he reached out to touch one. Yet, to his surprise, it stretched open as soon as he'd done so, as if awakening from a long, deep slumber. Tiny shimmering beads of dew lined its veined surface, glittering like watery jewels in the light. Then, suddenly, as if taking up a life of their own, they loosened their grip on the downy foliage and fell down to meet the ground, exuding gracefulness as each of them tinkled magically in tune as they dissipated to nothingness.

Tidus stood in awe at the majesty of this place and the enigmatic aura that surrounded it. Even the very air seemed to inhabit a strange glow, he felt as though he were walking in a dream as he covered the last reaches of the path, finally setting eyes on the party that had been waiting patiently for him and Auron.

"Slowpokes!" Rikku cried, leaping in the air like a jack in in a box as she set eyes on them.

Tidus smiled. "Sorry!" He looked about the clearing in which they were standing. A fresh scent hung in the air, mingled with the fragrance of sweet dew. Behind them and beyond the great boughs of the esoteric wood reached down and joined seamlessly with the path leading them onwards through the very tree tops to their next destination. But before that, Tidus had to settle his conscience.

He glanced over to where Yuna was standing, her white hood still drawn low over her head. He could feel her dual eyes watching him closely from under the shadow of her cloak, the guilt welled fervidly within them. Silence ensued. It was if the party were waiting for him to make the first move, the first protest of Yuna's plan. But he could not.

"_It's funny how calm I was.  
Maybe it was because I realised Yuna wasn't marrying Seymour for love. Not really.  
It was just her duty--something she had to do before returning to her pilgrimage.  
That's what I kept telling myself, anyway._

_And well, maybe… I realised that Yuna and I'd never…. You know…."_

A sincere smile wiped over his face as he kept his eyes fixed on her, observing her angelic face soften as he did so. "Yuna, let's go." he said gently.

She slid her hood off and eyed him with a thankful glow. "Yes." She followed him as he led the company on and up through the illustrious blue boughs of the Macalania Woods.

Green and azure hues interwoven with glittering dust rose from under their feet as they trod on the sacred-seeming bark. In between the mysterious boughs, gleaning orb-like crystals of large dimension opened out, as if they'd grown like glass flowers from the very trees themselves. Much like the dew upon the shimmering leaves, they tinkled and chimed each time the light touched them, changing their colour from hazy mauve to ethereal rose. Tidus gazed in wonder as the forest jangled peacefully, it was as if this were the only place that knew not of Sin or the hardship the rest of Spira had endured.

Yet, his wondering gaze was suddenly broken as a cluster blue butterflies flittered out from the foliage before him, stopping him and Yuna in their tracks. They clambered about together in lazy formation, beating the glittering air with their dainty wings as they crossed the summoner's path.

"They're called dusk moths." A voice explained from behind, breaking the enthralled silence.

Tidus looked back as Lulu's crimson gaze caught him. "They are a rare sight in this place." She continued solemnly. She watched as the enigmatic creatures fluttered away up to the haze covered sky leaving no trace of their existence behind. "Seeing them is apparently a good omen. The same cannot be said for their red brethren, however."

"Red moths?" Tidus inquired. "Hope we don't see any of those then!"

The mage didn't answer. She pressed on, taking the silent others with her; ever closer to the Macalania temple, ever closer to Seymour.

It wasn't long before they reached a wide junction in the boughs. One path carried on through the trees, whereas the other trailed back down to the forest floor. "We take this path." Auron directed, marching down towards ground level.

Tidus sighed, he was rue to follow and leave the peaceful serenity of the trees. He could already sense by the pervading smell that hung in the air that they'd almost passed all the way through the mystifying woodland.

"HEY!!!!!!"

They'd only ventured on few metres before a terrific booming voice screamed out to them, filled with despair.

"HEY!!!!!!!" It called again, now louder as a huge dark shape bounded towards them clumsily, bringing up great clouds of dust with each lumbering step.

Tidus recognised the bulky shape immediately as it bumbled into view; it was the muscle-head man: Barthello, Dona's guardian from Kilika and Auron's number one fan; but where his summoner was he couldn't tell.

Barthello finally screeched to a halt before them, throwing his huge upper body over his knees as he fought desperately to reclaim his breath. "Hey! Y-You, have you seen Dona?" He wheezed, clutching his heaving chest.

"Dona? Can't say I have." Tidus replied, veiling his amusement at the sorry state Barthello looked.

"What's up?" Wakka quizzed, staring at the muscled man confusedly.

"W-We got separated on the way here!" Barthello spluttered in exasperation, mopping the stray beads of sweat from his glowing forehead. "Dammit all!!" He screamed up to the heavens with sudden brutal vehemence. "I gotta find her! He started to pace back and forwards, swinging his arms about and groaning as if he were physically wounded.

"Calm down." Auron pitched in, speaking for the others, who daren't address him out of fear how he might react, given the violent rampage he'd flown into.

Barthello eyed him shakily. Auron's words seemed to be going in one ear and out the other as he waited there, his face now sweating heavily and crimson with despair. "But, if anything happens to her…"

"Running around in panic is not going to help." Auron stated. "Right now, you have to keep cool, and search."

"But--" Barthello looked about fit to explode.

What Auron said next was something Tidus would never forget, something that he would hold in his thoughts for a long time afterwards.

"Guard your emotions, then guard your summoner."

Barthello halted suddenly, as if the words were piercing through him. His breathing slowed. "You're right."

"Shall we search?" Auron offered.

"No," He replied with gentle hastiness. "I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you, Sir Auron." Barthello bowed low and unveiled the Yevon respect sign. With that he sped off up through the trees like a thunderbolt, his voice echoing wildly through the boughs. It seemed Auron's advice had lasted all but two minutes.

But, no sooner had he shot off Rikku started after him before hesitating to a stop suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Wakka cried.

"Oh," Rikku squeaked, glancing back sheepishly, "I just wanted to wish him good luck."

Auron rolled his eyes heavily and stepped onwards in the direction from which Barthello had come. The path wound away to the right in a wide semi-circle before finally halting at a straight side road, where the wood began to dwindle. Here, where clouded sky was exposed, the air had grown bitingly cold, nipping at their skin with gelid delight; but they could not venture out of the forest just yet…

Auron had halted abruptly at a vast uprooted tree by the side of the road; its mighty trunk had toppled over barring the way to another path that lead back in through the forest floor. "Wait," He commanded, halting the group as they tried to carry on away. "It is here…somewhere." He probed the tree closely.

"What's here?" Tidus questioned.

"Something you should see."

"But, Sir Auron…." Yuna's voice struck the air suddenly, bathed in urgency.

"I know," He said, understanding her desire to move on to meet the maester quickly. "It won't take long." He reassured. Then, to their amazement, he unsheathed his sword and brought it down upon the trunk heavily, cutting a mighty gouge in its glittering surface. They watched in confusion as he continued to hack away at it until a path was carved clear.

"It is this way."

Tidus stared at him perplexed.

"Come, you will see." Auron lead them through to what seemed to be small bubbling spring, hidden in a secret clearing in the woods. Glimmering water spewed from its waterfall -like roof and cascaded down into the gently rutted ground sleepily.

"This place… It's just water, isn't it?" Tidus announced, finding it hard to disguise his disappointment.

"This is what spheres are made of." Auron explained, motioning to the glistening pools of liquid. "This substance, although it may look like water, is not. It absorbs and preserves people memories. There is something here for you." He strode over to the very centre of the spring bottom and stooped down low, dipping his gloved hand into the flowing water. After swilling his arm around deeply for a few moments his hand seemed to find its target and brought something up out of the water; a video sphere.

"Jecht left this sphere here 10 years ago." He said quietly as he held the dripping object aloft.

The party murmured in astonishment, passing meaningful glances among themselves, most of which found their way to Tidus who shifted about on the spot awkwardly.

Wakka was the first, however, to claim the sphere from Auron's grasp. "Whoa, this is old!" He said, eyeing it gingerly as Rikku joined him for a nosy. "Don't know if you can play it back."

Tidus stared at the sphere indifferently, unsure how to feel. He looked Auron questioningly.

"Play it back." Auron said.

Rikku tiptoed over to where Tidus was standing, taking the sphere with her. Holding it close to him she activated it without question, for she knew the blitzer would hesitate to take it from her if she offered it to him.

The device chugged and whirred for several moments and then defying belief, after being submerged for over a decade, it began to play. Random images of Spiran landscapes flickered back and forth silently; pictures of Luca, the Mi'ihen Highroad, the Thunder Plains. Then, suddenly a voice sprung out from the depths; a voice he'd not heard in over ten years, the voice he dreaded to hear.

"_How the hell do you work this damn thing?" _the voice growled low and the image shook violently as if it were struck. _"A-ha, now we're talkin'!" _

The image suddenly darkened, then sprung to life once more. Auron, 10 years younger, paced along before them, clasping his sword tightly at his belt. He was on a grand bridge somewhere Tidus had never seen before. It was coloured deep crimson, and the ground surface shone brightly as if highly polished. Behind Auron, Tidus could see many exquisite buildings, rotund with glimmering dome-shaped roofs; each one adorned with a golden-tipped spire.

"_What are you taking?" _Young Auron suddenly stared towards them, looking severely irritated that he was being filmed.

The image shook as if the user was laughing. _"Well, you said it was gonna be a long trip. We'll be seeing a lot of neat things, right? So, I thought I'd record it all in this. To show to my wife and kid, you know." _Jecht's gravelly voice rasped from behind the lens, sending shivers down Tidus' spine as he mentioned him.

Auron stared at Jecht, his eyes as cold as stone. _"This is no pleasure cruise!" _he snapped darkly.

"_Hey Braska!" _Jecht called suddenly, taking no heed of his companion's words. He panned the sphere quickly causing it to blur. It re-focused and revealed him; Yuna's father, dressed all in flowing red; the living image of his statue. _"Ain't this supposed to be a grand occasion? Where're the cheering fans? The crying women?" _Jecht inquired brashly.

"_This is it."_ Braska replied, his voice clear and determined. _"Too many goodbyes-- people think twice about leaving." _He said with a solemn shake of his head.

"_Hmm… If you say so." _Jecht retorted as Auron stormed past them both in the background. _"Well, it better be a lot more colourful when we come back. A parade for Braska, vanquisher of Sin!"_

Braska laughed softly. _"We should go. Day will break soon." _The High Summoner moved on out frame and the image faded again.

The sphere crackled and flashed before unveiling yet another video. This time Jecht was in shot, strutting around and doing stupid Herculean poses at the sphere from a distance. He was standing near a travel agency similar to the one they'd stayed at on the Thunder Plains. Above him was a wide yellow sign that read: Macalania. But, even more surprising was the thick snow under Jecht's feet and all about him. This didn't seem to bother him however, as he strolled around with no shirt on, baring his giant abes tattoo.

"_Auron, could you stand closer to him?" _Braska's voice uttered from behind the sphere as he panned it steadily to the crimson clad warrior, who's stare was now icier than the snow under his feet. Reluctantly, he shuffled closer to Jecht, who was posing with his hands on his hips, grinning haughtily.

The sphere paused on them momentarily. _"Good. That should do it."_ Braska claimed.

No sooner had the summoner spoken, Jecht turned to Auron with a sardonic smile. _"What's the matter? Afraid I might bite?" _

"_Jecht…" _Auron sighed tiredly.

"_Braska! You should take one, too. It'd make a great gift for little Yuna" _Jecht shouted aloud.

"_I suppose." _The summoner replied quietly.

Auron shifted suddenly in impatience. _"Lord Braska… We shouldn't be wasting our time like this!" _

"_What's the hurry, man?" _Jecht complained loudly like a petulant child, before stomping off with a heavy grunt.

Auron eyed him sharply, wrath steaming from every pore. _"Let me tell you what the hurry is!" _He spat, following him swiftly.

"_Auron!" _The scene fell from view as Braska sought to calm him, eventually fading to nothing.

Tidus looked up to find the rest of the party staring at him in anticipation of his reaction. The blitzer frowned. "What's the point? He wasn't on some pleasure cruise." He stated bluntly, repeating Auron's words as he folded his arms.

Rikku gazed up at him with a twinkling grin. "I… think there's more." she smiled holding the sphere before him.

Again, she activated it and rightly another scene materialised for them to see. The sphere droned slowly and eventually clearing, the spring they were standing in, before shaking violently once more as it hit the ground. The camera lens fell on Jecht, sat alone and cross-legged in the very middle of the spring. He bowed his head low as if deep in thought before looking over to the sphere. Tidus felt himself quiver as his father's eyes fall on him.

"_Hey. If you're sitting there watching this… it means you're stuck in Spira like me." _Jecht said suddenly, staring right at him. _"You might not know when you'll get back, but you'd better not be crying!" _He leaned back languidly. _"Although, I'd guess I'd understand. But you know what? There's a time when you have to stop crying and move on. You'll be fine. Remember, you're my son. And… Well, uh…" _He rubbed his head awkwardly before groaning uncomfortably. _"Never mind, I'm no good at these things." _He hoisted himself up to his feet and approached the sphere before seizing it and panning it to rest its view on the spring once more. _"Anyways… I believe in you. Be good… Goodbye."_ His voice was barely a whisper as the image of the spring faded gradually before stopping dead.

Tidus stared up at Auron suddenly "He sounded almost serious, but it was too late." He said, darkening.

"He _was_ serious." Auron corrected, wandering away a short distance. "Jecht had already accepted his fate."

"His fate?"

Auron gazed up at the surrounding boughs of the forest pensively. A deep reminiscence reverberated in his voice as he spoke. "Jecht… He… He was always talking about going home to Zanarkand. That's why he took all those pictures -- to show them to you when he returned. But as he journeyed with us and came to understand Spira, and Braska's resolve… It happened gradually, but Jecht changed. He decided he would join Braska in his fight against Sin."

Tidus paused thoughtfully, suddenly realising that his father was no different from himself when he first arrived in Spira. "So then, he gave up going home?" he blinked.

"That was his decision." Auron concluded before stepping onwards to join the others.

"_I guess I understood.  
My old man… He knew there was now way back home, back to Zanarkand.  
He wanted to go home, but he knew he couldn't.  
He couldn't go on until he accepted it.  
Besides… even if he had found a way back… I don't think he would've left his friends behind before their journey was complete."_

Tidus felt something change inside him at that moment, some kind of acceptance. He felt renewed inside; invigorated. "Alright! Let's go, guys!" He called with a smile. as he perceived the group lingering by the shattered tree, waiting to move on; Wakka and Rikku play fighting yet again. His eyes leapt to Yuna as they turned to leave, sparkling emerald sheen passing through her brown hair as she wandered through the wide boughs once more.

"_Maybe I had to start accepting my own fate."_

Realising he'd lingered behind yet again, he hurried after them with a self -spiting laugh. But unbeknown to him he was about to be waylaid yet again. Auron suddenly stepped out into his path driving to the blitzer to a screeching halt.

"Wait."

"Yeah?" Tidus swung his arms behind his head casually with a grin.

"Jecht loved you."

Tidus face dropped and struggled to stop himself from reeling back in alarm, "Oh, come on, please!" he begged.

"He just didn't know how to express it, he said." Auron continued, much to his companion's growing embarrassment.

Tidus looked away weakly. "Enough about my old man, okay?" He winced softly.

"I just thought you should know."

"Okay." Tidus replied awkwardly and watched as the man turned and took the way the others had taken before disappearing round the corner. He exhaled deeply, letting his arms drop loosely by his sides. "Thanks."

With that he bounded out to meet the others who were already way ahead of him tracing their way to the northern borders of the wood, where the air growing colder by the second. He could see their wispy breaths of mist trailing behind them from the distance as he approached, feeling the severe cold snap at him, now surprisingly hard. Batting a stray cluster of butterflies out of his eyes that were barring his view with their bloodshot, thrashing wings, he burst out of the wood letting the beating white light of the sky greet him with its icy glare. To his amazement, Jecht's sphere had been right.

He found himself suddenly on a thick, snow-covered pathway that inched along forming what seemed to be the edge of a long sloping precipice. Far off to the north, stretching over the abyss, lay a vast plain made completely of ice. The white sheen emanating from its surface below was dazzling at first, blinding him as the light from above glinted off it. As his eyes became accustomed to the harsh luminosity, he could see that it was laced with the most intricate of ice arches, distinguishable by their sharp blue-toned edges that twinkled at intervals. Encompassing all were tall, frosty hillocks, that rose from the depths, commanding respect with their jagged pinnacles like tempered glass.

Tidus rubbed his shivering arms briskly, wondering why the others hadn't warned him of the extreme weather changes that lay ahead when they first set out. The snow squealed and crunched under his boots as he padded nearer the edge of the precipice. Not too far from where he was standing was the very travel agency that had been filmed in the sphere, only now the yellow Macalania sign was paler, and covered in thick frost. He sniffled, rubbing his cold nose. Snaking far off into the distance, the ice-plain dipped under intertwining archways before he lost sight of it as it disappeared, tapering off into a thin corridor. He figured the temple must be waiting at the other side, it didn't seem that far, but tackling the titanic lake of ice seemed nigh impossible as its shining, polished surface looked treacherous.

As he was pondering this a snowball zipped past his face at thundering speed followed by a conniving giggle. He looked up suddenly to a find a suspicious-looking Rikku struggling desperately to keep composure as she clasped her hands behind her back feigning innocence. Without a second thought, he stooped low and scooped a large handful of snow. Compressing it, he grinned evilly. "You know I won't miss!" He launched his arm back ready to hurl.

Rikku shrieked wildly and fled over towards Lulu, shoving the mage before her defensively. Lulu's eyes narrowed on Tidus who still had the missile poised. "Don't even think about it."

Tidus laughed nervously. "As if I would!"

The mage sighed heavily as the snowball fell from his hand and ventured off towards the travel agency coaxing the others to follow. Tidus, despite the fact Rikku had egged him on to fight, wasn't reluctant to tag along however, as the incentive of going indoors where it was warm was more than appealing.

Once inside, the party dispersed lounging on wide tan coloured chairs which lay on thick, grey animal fur rugs. Like he expected, Tidus found there was a great fire roaring in the hearth, which unfortunately Wakka had taken upon himself to hog entirely. Yet, although he was thankful of the warmth of the place, Tidus couldn't help but wonder why they'd stopped. Yuna wanted to hurry onwards didn't she? That was the message she was giving out at least. He studied the room in search for her and discovered her propped up on a chair at the far side. From the way she was gazing down at her lap she looked as though she'd been sat there for a while.

He made his way over to her, whatever she was planning to negotiate with maester was obviously playing deeply on her mind. "Don't forget to smile, remember?"

"Hmm?" She stirred as if waking from a dream. As she looked up, he beheld her dual eyes clouded in thought, before finally realising his words. "Oh, you're right… I'll try and remember." she said. From the sound of her voice Tidus wasn't convinced, his attempt to cheer her had been in vain; and it seemed she was finding even her own advice hard to follow.

He was at a loss for words thereafter, he wished he could do something, anything to help; but it was beyond his power to do so. She wanted it this way, like Auron said. But why torture herself like this?

The minutes ticked by as the company sat there in silence. Tidus could sense some of the others growing restless at waiting in reticence like this. Most of them oblivious to the reason why.

"Temple not far. Why stop here?" He heard Kimahri grumble to himself quietly finally breaking the silence as he lingered by the doorway, his feline eyes scanning the circular room closely.

"How long we supposed to stay here, anyways?" Wakka added in a hushed tone.

"Don't ask me!" Tidus retorted as the islander set eyes on him.

Wakka sighed, "Things sure have gotten complicated since Sir Auron joined us."

"You think so, too?" Tidus exhaled tiredly.

"Still can't figure that guy out." Wakka murmured, scratching his head.

Rikku upon hearing their discussion, discarded the al bhed journal she was perusing and sprang up from where she'd plonked herself on one of the fur rugs by the counter. "Well, can we go now? I'm tired of waiting!" she complained with a loud yawn, being as querulous as ever.

But nobody answered, they were all waiting for Yuna to make the next move.

Tidus couldn't tell whether he was nervous or just anxious but the immense tension that was brewing in the room was becoming almost stifling. In an attempt to relieve his growing unrest, he wandered over to where Kimahri was playing sentinel, as always Auron wasn't far.

"Anything can happen." He insinuated as the blitzer chugged to a halt beside him.

Tidus threw him a cocky grin, he knew what was coming; another Auron lecture. "'Make sure you're prepared', right?" he responded, imitating Auron's deep voice.

The warrior frowned, but forgave the mockery shortly thereafter. "There is a saying: 'Hurry up and wait'. It means prepare quickly so you're ready for whatever lies ahead."

"Sounds like something an old man would say." Tidus blurted out.

Offended by the blitzer's complete lack of tact, Auron turned away. "Forgive me." he snapped, brewing with disdain.

"Hey, just being honest!" Tidus squeaked apologetically. But the damage was done, Auron was already sulking.

It was at that moment, a loud commotion ensued suddenly behind the door as if some great excitement was astir. In a flash it swung open hurriedly almost buckling its hinges, sending a ruthless blast of arctic wind into the place. Yuna, without warning, suddenly leapt to her feet as if she'd already anticipated the new arrival.

"Lady Yuna, we've been expecting you."

Tidus recognised the old, fusty voice a mile away. The others rose to their feet joined him at the door to set eyes on their guest. It was Tromell: Seymour's footman from Guadosalam. He was shrouded in a green moss-coloured cloak, stray snowflakes were sprinkled over his shoulders under his greying hair.

"We were surprised you had decided to come so soon." he beamed letting the aged wrinkles on his brow widen. "Pleasantly surprised, of course!"

Tidus frowned, obviously news of their arrival in Macalania has spread like wild fire, despite the fact they'd only been in the agency ten minutes. The thought of having Seymour's lackeys spying on them and watching his every move made his skin crawl.

"Lord Seymour sends his apologies for having left Guadosalam without notice." he continued, bowing courteously.

"It's quite all right." Yuna replied softly. "I have one question, if I may, sir." she clasped her hands together loosely.

"My lady?"

"I want to keep journeying, even if I marry. Do you think that Maester Seymour would let me?"

The old guado smiled widely. "But of course, my lady. Lord Seymour wishes nothing else, I'm sure."

With that Yuna turned back to face the others, a thankful glow shone in her face at their acceptance of her will. "Goodbye." she said with a gentle nod.

"Well… We must follow Guado tradition." Tromell informed, taking her by the arm with his long, gnarled hand. "I'll have to ask you to wait here a little while longer." he said, addressing her guardians. "I'll send someone to escort you." He lead her away through to door to the snow-covered blanket before them, but the summoner hesitated suddenly.

"I…" Her wandering glance flew back to her guardians, awash with sudden doubt.

"We're all with you." Auron reassured as her eyes rested on him. "Do as you will."

"Thank you." She turned back, allowing the guado to take her down the steep frosted path to the ice plain below. The party followed her to the brink and watched over her as she stepped out.

"Sorry." Auron hissed suddenly in Tidus' direction as soon as she was out of ear shot.

"Huh?" the blitzer stared at him questioningly.

"That was _your_ line." Auron's eyes narrowed, making their point bluntly.

Tidus bounded forwards suddenly realising he'd missed his chance and shouted her name out over the sea of ice.

She stopped abruptly and turned back in answer.

He stuffed his fingers in his mouth, whistled, and she understood instantly. She nodded; if she were to fall into trouble she would do just that; whistle for him.

Tromell tightened his grip on her arm as they tip-toed cautiously now on the sheet glass under their feet. From where Tidus was standing it almost looked like it was Yuna supporting Tromell, not the other way around. Yet, no sooner had they stepped out, they were greeted by a cataclysmic boom that screamed out over them with omnipotent rage. The wild roaring of engines followed, contaminating the air with the scent of viscous oil and gas.

"Oh, no!" Rikku wailed. But it was too late.

Before she had chance to act, a crazed fleet of machina rocketed out from under the shadows of the encompassing mountains at lightning speed. Like motorcycles, but brandishing two parallel blades on the underbelly, the machines were more than adequate to take on the might of the ice-plain.

With chaos on their side, the machina, bolted over the ice with frightening dexterity, careering and squealing to and fro psychotically. Mayhem ensued as they darted in between each other, chucking up wild showers of glittering ice, their engines spewing out glutinous oil in their wake making it seem as though the indents they were carving out were open wounds gushing with ebony blood. Yuna and Tromell could do nothing but watch as they blasted towards them ricocheting off the ice in their haste.

"Al Bhed!" Wakka screamed fuelled with hate. With fists clenched he leapt down onto the slippery ice with such ferocity that Tidus was sure it would burst asunder.

Taking their lives in their hands, Yuna's guardians mimicked Wakka's crazed leap of faith, before scrabbling over the dangerous terrain towards her. But by now the machina had already begun to circle, and once her guardians were in sight, the Al bhed astride them sprang off, letting the unmanned vehicles collide together in a gigantic melee of metal and grease. Their weapons were already poised by the time their fair-haired assailants hit the ground, looking more akin to robots than humans with their dehumanizing goggles.

"Stand back!" Auron leapt before the summoner and guado, his blade unsheathed with a hankering for use.

"Thank you!" Tromell wheezed helplessly, grappling for the Yuna's hand. But the summoner was indisposed. To his dismay, she wrenched herself free of him and fled to her guardians at the heart of the maelstrom.

Another mighty boom rang out over the plains, this time followed by a plume of black smoke that floated up from the very top of the hillocks up ahead. They looked up suddenly. A lone figure appeared on the hilltop, accompanied by the frenetic whirr of steel against ice. Something was coming.

Something huge.

To be continued…

_An: I'm sooooo thankful this chapter is over and done with, I had such issues with how and where to end it. I'm not a real fan of leaving cliff-hangers, and their over use can make them valid…(I know I've used a few already!!!) But, I felt there was no other solution with this chapter, it was either finish here or just before the Rikku/Wakka discussion. As you can see, I left out not too much this time, yay! Only the weird Spherimorph boss fight, which doesn't help the story. Another part that annoyed the hell out of me was the scene with summoner party in the travel agency; put it in, or don't put it in???? I ended up putting it in. I don't particularly like it as I think it slows he story down. I wanted to create tension, yes, but well, I think I like writing action sequences better!! Describing Macalania Woods was a real milestone for me because its SO important later on. I really tortured myself over its description and how Tidus perceives it… god knows what I'm gonna be like when I get to the spring sequence!!! keep promising myself to get a rough draft of that sequence written down but, alas, I haven't got round to it yet. Lazy pig, I know! Hope you guys enjoyed the chappie anyway. Tell me what you think!_


	18. Machinations of a Maester

_Hi everyone! Thanks for reviewing the last chapter and taking the time to read it! This new chapter is a bit of a hog, so please bear with me. Hope you like it! _

Chapter 18: Machinations of a Maester.

"RIKKU!" A loud voice bellowed out over them suddenly in the strong accent of the Al Bhed.

She looked up in answer to her name; cocking an eyebrow to the individual on the frosted mount above.

As the clouds dispersed overhead, Tidus could vaguely make out who the person was. He found, to his surprise, that it was the very Al Bhed man that was aboard the ship that saved him when he first arrived in Spira; the leader in fact. As always, he was wearing thick silver goggles and had his blonde Mohawk spiked high. Despite the fact he knew Rikku, the Al Bhed man didn't look pleased to see her. Yet on the contrary, it seemed to Tidus' eyes that a cunning smile wiped over his face suddenly from afar and again, as if by cue, another excruciating boom rang out over the plain like the rolling crack of thunder before the onslaught of a storm.

When the enduring reverberations subsided, a great, dark shadow shuddered forwards to meet Rikku's old acquaintance. The sheer weight it housed caused the ice to tremble fearfully beneath their feet, contaminating the inert ambience with foreboding trepidation. With an exhalation of noxious steam, the vast shape quaked to an abrupt standstill, looming over them precariously like a tyrannical black cloud. It was another machina; but this time it was colossal.

Set on mighty, rolling tracks, the contraption seemed more like an amalgamation of a canon and a tank than anything else. Its bulbous base was sheeted in thick tarnished metal and completely covered in what seemed to be Al Bhed writing, which had been crudely scrawled into its surface and acid etched to form a virulent blue. Leading up from the graffiti-clothed foundation was a canon of gargantuan proportion, its width alone was enough to diminish any hope the summoner party had left in their systems. Rotating wildly like it were possessed by some rambunctious spirit, it glowered down at them with sordid glee; a strange malevolent anticipation seeming to brew within the black depths of its circular mouth.

"Tuh'd ehdanvana un oui'mm kad drec!!" The Mohawk Al Bhed at its side shrieked, punching the air with his flame-tattooed arm.

Taking his scream as a command, the enormous machina began to vibrate ferociously before elevating from its base with a mechanical whirr, revealing two implacable machine gun cylinders; primed and ready to unleash their wrath. Without waiting a single second longer, they spewed a hail of bullets over the ice-plain towards them, shredding through the air at startling speed. The party scattered in alarm, many stumbling in their haste; namely Wakka, who took down two Al Bhed with him, crushing them into the hard ice with his bulking body. But it was Tidus that caught Yuna as she toppled, struggling to stay on her feet as the rip-roaring missiles shot towards them, lacerating the ice savagely. That was after he wrestled one of the on looking Al Bhed away from her, throwing him backwards with a right hook to the jaw.

The Al Bhed on the hilltop chuckled maniacally at the pandemonium ensuing below, but his glee was short-lived as Rikku raced straight into the line of fire bringing his proceedings to a premature halt.

His green-spiralled gaze hardened impatiently on her resolute stance. "Tuh'd cyo E tith'd fynh oui!!! Kad dras!!!" He signalled to the machina once more.

To their dismay, the machine poised and cocked its cannon downwards ready to unleash whatever heinous power it possessed upon them. But Rikku was unmoved. She glued herself to the spot, staring up at the man with a contemptuous glint in her eyes. He leered, rubbing his hands together in anticipation as the canon began to rotate faster and faster, becoming almost a blur as a light-infused bolt of energy gathered frenziedly at its tip, spewing out searing sparks of brutal flame. As the company gaped helplessly like sitting ducks; Kimahri, in a last burst of dynamism skidded towards Rikku swiftly in an attempt to scoop her away. But at that moment, at the very peak of execution; the machina choked, coughing out a barrage of noxious fumes before eventually grinding to a halt with a high-pitched whine.

Everybody stared up in disbelief, wondering what on earth was happening. But Rikku merely laughed and folded her arms incisively. Perceiving this, the Al Bhed leader staggered back as if he'd taken some injury from her response and shot her an acidic glare.

"Kad dras!!!!" he ordered once more angrily.

The machina coughed loudly, spitting a thick plume of smoke in his face.

He hurled his foot into the base of the machine, bringing forth a dull clang. "KAD DRAS!!!"

This time the machina did respond, but in a way neither he nor the others expected.

Trembling uncontrollably, it lurched and gurgled; bursting out its bolts as the restrained pressure inside began to build. The Al Bhed leader screamed in terror and leapt for cover as the machina swelled frenetically. Enraged, it let out a last final cataclysmic boom, blasting its cannon asunder and rupturing the most part of its foundations in an earth-shattering explosion, throwing all those below off their feet with terrific shockwaves imbued with fire.

In fierce retort, great blistering clouds of black smog belched out from its blackened remains, filling the air with the odious stench of burnt metal. Choking, the summoner party staggered to their feet along with their rather mortified looking assailants. The Al Bhed didn't do things by half.

But it was not over; the ice mountain under the device had taken severe injury with the explosion and in a jaw-dropping display, it too disintegrated wildly, unleashing gigantic blocks of molten ice down onto the plain with such earth-shattering force that the party were sure the plain would splinter under them. But their fears were proved wrong, and when the avalanche finally relaxed, the ice, under the protection of some strange power or miracle was still intact.

Dusting herself off, Rikku laughed knowingly. "Oui cruit ryja ghufh vydran'c _machina _fuimt ku yht pnayg tufh uh oui mega drad!" she shouted up as the man above rose up out of the wreckage above like some charred hellish entity.

He glared down at her with gritted teeth but she didn't waver. Tidus couldn't tell whether the steam emanating from his body was from the heat of the explosion or just his pure rage.

"My lady!" Tromell spluttered, taking Yuna by the hand suddenly. "We should leave now, before the Al Bhed attack again! It's my duty to guide you safely to the temple!"

Reluctantly, she obeyed, allowing him to lead her off down into the corridor of ice; but not before her guardians had secured that she was all right.

"RIKKU!!! E- E femm tamm vydran!! " the man screamed suddenly in protest of Yuna's departure, forcing them all to take note of him once more now that their summoner had gone.

"E ys y _guardian_ uv _Yuna_, oui caa?" Rikku answered, her voice now gentle. "_Yuna_ ec cyva. Fa femm kiynt ran. Cra ec cyva."

The man staggered back in what seemed to be a mixture of horror and disbelief. "Oui tu drec ymuha, cecdan!" he cried, clenching his fist defiantly before turning heel and running as if a rabid dog were after him.

To the company's amazement, the other Al Bhed around them followed suit, fleeing as if their lives were in grave peril. Rikku sighed thankfully at their retreat and turned back to the others who were already looking like tattered rag dolls amongst the haphazard disarray surrounding them.

"I told him I was guardian." she explained with a nervous giggle. "Well, guess I had to, really." she scratched her head anxiously.

"How come you speak Al Bhed?" Wakka heaved himself up from the desolation waste, rubbing his blackened face confusedly as the last pieces of shrapnel fell from his clothes. He turned to Lulu and Tidus, who instantly tried to avoid his searching glance. "Why?" he asked, with brows creasing deeply.

"Erm…" Tidus trailed off awkwardly, desperately trying to think of a way to dampen the blow. But there was no way.

"Because I'm Al Bhed." Rikku interrupted timorously, saving Tidus' words. "And that… was my brother." She held her head low before Wakka, not daring to look up into the impending wrath bubbling in his veins.

"You knew?" he hissed suddenly, staring at Lulu and Tidus with pupils now contracted like pin pricks.

They nodded in defeat.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he uttered monosyllabically.

"We knew you'd be upset." Lulu answered.

But in response Wakka hurled his arms down roughly at his sides. "This is great." he spat sarcastically. "I can't believe I've been travelling with an Al Bhed! A heathen!" his eyes darkened, boiling with the sable tones of revulsion.

"You're wrong!" Rikku cried, plucking up the courage to take him on. "We have nothing against Yevon!" she eyed him shakily, looking very much like a sapling tree drooping before the towering wrath of a mighty oak.

"But you Al Bhed use the forbidden machina!" he bit back with brusque, scathing vehemence. "You know what that means? Sin was born because people used machina!" he leered over at the abandoned machina on the field about him with glowering contempt.

"You got proof? Show me proof!" Rikku cried, finding her strength.

"It's in Yevon's teachings! Not that you'd know!"

"That's not good enough! Yevon says this, Yevon says that. Can't you think for yourself?" she exclaimed.

Wakka folded his arms conceitedly. "Well, then you tell me! Where did Sin come from, huh?"

"I…" Rikku wavered as she found herself trapped a dead end, with Wakka glaring down at her from a thousand leagues above. "I don't know!" she cried overpowered, knitting her brows.

"Hmmph!" He scoffed. "You badmouth Yevon and that's all you can come up with?"

"But.." Rikku spluttered. "that doesn't mean you should do whatever they say without thinking! Nothing will ever change that way!"

"Nothing has to change!" Wakka retorted disdainfully, like a stubborn old mule.

"You want Sin to keep coming back?" she cried. "There might be a way to stop it, you know!"

"Sin will be gone once we atone for out past mistakes!" He proclaimed proudly as if he'd recited the words a thousand times, regurgitated straight from the musty pages of Yevon.

"When? How?" She persisted.

"If we keep faith in Yevon's teachings it will be gone one day!" His determined dogmatism was not going to fade.

Rikku frowned abysmally, throwing her head down low in defeat. "Why do I even bother…?"

"Rikku!"

"Huh?" She looked over to Auron, who was studying one of the abandoned ice vehicles closely.

"Will this move?" He interjected.

She nodded assuredly, and commenced rifling under the belly of the machina, juggling its internal organs about as if she were performing some kind of ghastly operation.

"We're not going to the temple on that, are we?" Wakka exclaimed in horror, staring at the machine widely. "Wait!" His eyes suddenly narrowed. "Sir Auron isn't Al Bhed too, is he?"

Tidus sighed heavily at his friend's ludicrous implication. "Come on, Wakka!" he cried, rolling his eyes.

"What?" Wakka snapped, as if he'd done nothing wrong.

"I mean, getting angry just 'cause you found out Rikku's an Al Bhed…" Tidus declared. "You guys got along fine till now, didn't you?"

"That's different, I mean…" Wakka spluttered.

"Well, I don't claim to know much about Spira. And I probably know even less about the Al Bhed, but…I know Rikku's a good person." Tidus responded strongly. "She's just Rikku!"

"Lu?" Wakka looked to the mage suddenly for help, or maybe even for support of his opinion.

But she was as indifferent as always. "Just think of this as an opportunity to learn more about the Al Bhed."

"Ha!" Wakka growled at the mere thought and stormed off in the direction that Yuna and Tromell had taken like a bear with a very sore head. Without a second thought, Tidus started after him, but the restraining arm of Auron pulled him back suddenly.

"Let him go. Give him time to think."

Rikku popped her head up from behind the machina timidly at Wakka's thunderous departure. "I'm sorry." she squeaked.

Lulu smiled kindly. "You've done nothing to apologise for!"

Rikku sighed tiredly mopping the smeared oil from her forehead and attempted a weak smile.

"All right! Let's ride!" Tidus put forward in a bid to rekindle her spirits. He sprang atop the machine she'd just repaired; making his secret desire for driving one more than obvious to everyone.

"You sure you know how to drive one of these?" Rikku asked doubtfully, raising an eyebrow.

But as she did so, the pair of them observed Kimahri flip one of the machina over in the distance with his giant ronso foot and scramble onto the seat awkwardly, looking very much like a fish out of water with his cumbersome blue body.

Tidus snickered. "Better than Kimahri does!"

With that he flicked the ignition and the engine roared crazily in response as if it were about ready to take off. Rikku clambered up behind him, as Lulu did behind Auron on their machina, and with a frenzied screech the party set off, careering over the ice like Hell's Angels.

As soon as they passed under the main arch of the ice corridor, the road split into two separate paths, parted by a vast canyon that reached down into what seemed to be the very bowels of Spira. Faced with this slight problem, the guardians split up with Tidus and Rikku taking the left road and Lulu, Auron and Kimahri taking the right; where Wakka was they didn't know.

As the others sped away, Tidus could finally got chance to hear himself think again with the absence of their buzzing engines.

"Sorry about Wakka." he said, blinking in the rear-view mirror at the blonde perched behind him.

She laughed uneasily; the kind of laugh that veils dismay. "He didn't have to be so mean, yeah?" Her clandestine sorrow was now evident in her soft voice as she spoke to him; hard wrought and grief-filled. "…I almost cried."

"Uh…Rikku?" He exclaimed in surprise, thinking she was on the verge of tears.

"Just kidding!" She retorted suddenly, feigning a smile. "It's okay. At least you're still nice."

Tidus couldn't help but smile in pity, comprehending for the first time how hard it must be to be an Al Bhed living in Spira.

"Hey, do I look like Yunie, you think?"

"Huh?"

Rikku smiled knowingly. "Well, my dad's sister is Yunie's mother, you get it?"

Tidus almost screeched to a halt at the sudden revelation. "Wha? Really? I had no idea! If you say so." So that's why they got along so well…

"Uh-huh." she nodded.

Tidus grinned brightly. "Okay, I guess you're guarding your family, then."

"Yuna's not the only one I want to protect." she whispered, barely audible.

"Huh?" he turned back in reply to the strange utterance.

"We Al Bhed want to protect all the summoners, you know?." she explained tenuously as if all the weight of the world were resting on her shoulders.

Tidus nodded, setting his eyes back on the road. He thought it strange that 'protecting' the summoners meant attacking them, like earlier when they themselves had been accosted. Somehow, he knew that he was being kept in the dark about something. But after what had just happened with Wakka, he felt it was a bad time to be bringing up anything about the Al Bhed's motives.

"Summoners are…Well, you could say that…they sacrifice themselves to well…to bring happiness to Spira." Her voice fractured and weakened with ending of her words.

"Whaddya mean?" He asked nonchalantly.

She seemed suddenly surprised at his query. "Oh."

"Rikku?"

"Yes?" she responded, her face wrinkling meekly.

"'Sacrifice themselves'?" he repeated the words disconcertingly, mulling over the meaning with peaked curiosity.

"You know, the pilgrimage…It, er, takes a lot out of you." she clarified with a stammer.

"Oh, right." He replied, now enlightened, and also thankful that she didn't mean 'sacrifice' in the literal sense. "But, you know, Yuna's real serious about being a summoner. For Yuna, well the pilgrimage kinda means everything to her. You are going to help her, too, aren't you, Rikku?"

"Hmm." she nodded.

"So, you shouldn't say that Yuna's sacrificing herself." he corrected soberly with a growing distaste for the word.

Suddenly, she cast her arms around his chest, burying her head in-between his shoulders.

"Er, Rikku?" He cried in surprise as her icy, vice-like grip constricted about him fearfully tight.

Her breath shuddered with the cold air, and in her voice, there blossomed a sweet sadness that he didn't comprehend. "I hope you're right."

Their trip, and Rikku's embrace was brought to a swift halt, however, as the frosted road tipped downwards steeply, tapering into what seemed to be a circular cave entrance. The other guardians were already there waiting for them, their ice machina parked to the side of the entrance. Grinding to a swift halt, Tidus tried his best to park his machine with same grace that Auron and Kimahri had achieved; but it was not to be so. He slammed on the breaks too hard forcing the machina to swing around, and ultimately spraying his fellow guardians with a shower of ice. Clambering off the vehicle, he shot them an apologetic grin as they dusted off the remainder of its chilly caress, leaving Rikku to park it haphazardly by the others.

Tidus braced himself for the cold snap as they passed under the widened mouth of the ice cave ahead. Yet to his surprise it grew warmer as they stepped over the threshold, the torpid air blessing their skin welcomingly. And then he perceived it: the sacred Macalania Temple, dangling like a pendulous jewel in the distance. Surrounding it, the cave opened out wide in a vast circle with two paths leading down to its banner-veiled entrance. Below these paths was yet another void, but to Tidus' eyes there seemed to be strange shapes and structures at the very bottom as if some ruined city lay hidden under their very feet.

Unlike the other temples in Spira that he come across, Macalania was very different in shape and appearance. Under the ice- clothed foundations of its base, a large tear-shaped structure traced down from it, beaded in what seemed to be glittering dew. It was then that he made the connection between the woods and the temple. Whatever magic lingered in the woods of Macalania resided here, he could feel it in the growing aura, and the sweet fragrance that followed.

"I'm sorry about Wakka." Lulu appeared beside him suddenly, her eyes straying over to the other side of the cave where a red-haired figure was walking slowly.

Tidus glanced over. "Wakka's head is as hard as rock." he stated, observing the still simmering anger that was evident from Wakka's face from afar. "It's probably because of Yevon… or something like that."

"No." Lulu responded quietly. "Wakka doesn't like the Al Bhed because of his brother, Chappu."

"Oh," Tidus recalled suddenly the sad departure of Wakka's younger brother, and Lulu's love for him. "He fought with an Al Bhed weapon, right?"

The mage nodded silently in answer, her pensive gaze never straying from Wakka's dishevelled form.

"And was killed by Sin…" Tidus continued breathlessly. The thoughts and images of his father and all that he'd learned of the horrific entity since he'd arrived in Spira flashed through his mind suddenly, polluting him internally like some kind of lethal virus, constricting him at the core. "Killed by my old man…" he whispered, staring with wide eyes fixedly on the floor. "Damn you Jecht!"

"I'm sorry?" Lulu looked at him curiously as he batted his hair out of his eyes.

"Oh, it's… it's nothing." He sighed in relief as she accepted the statement, already realising he'd said too much, and aloud. "Say, what do you think of Rikku?" he changed the subject swiftly and passed his gaze to the young Al Bhed wandering up ahead, her head hung low in a doleful stance.

"I think she's fun to be with." Lulu admitted with a fond smile.

Tidus nodded, his pity for the young Al Bhed never fading. He wished he could do something to help, but he knew Wakka's mind could not and would not be changed; travelling with the both of them at loggerheads was something they were all going to have to deal with.

It wasn't long before Macalania Temple was looming before them, like a immaculate crystal, sparkling in the tepid light. Wakka had already passed inside by the time they reached the ornate entrance, where a lone monk was waiting to greet them… but in a way they weren't expecting.

"Halt!" he ordered sharply as they approached, eyeing them one by one over the tall collar of his velvet cloak. His blistering gaze fell lastly onto Rikku, swelling with scorn as he perceived her. "The likes of her are not welcome in this hallowed place!" he proclaimed maliciously. News of their arrival with an Al Bhed was travelling fast again, hurling vindictive thoughts of Guado espionage into Tidus' head.

"She is a guardian." Auron responded staunchly.

"A-An Al Bhed, a guardian? Preposterous!" The monk spluttered rashly in disbelief.

"I've decided to be Yuna's guardian now, and that's all I want." Rikku interjected bravely.

"And that's all one needs to be a guardian." Auron added shrewdly, striding straight past the man making a bold assertion if ever there was one.

The monk stood aghast for a moment. "Very well." he muttered eventually with a disgruntled sigh. "But, I will hold you personally responsible if anything happens!" His face was sullen and torn as they strode past in to join Auron and Wakka, knowing he was beaten.

Once inside, Tidus found that the temple wasn't as different to the others as he'd first assumed. As always the main chamber was filled with glyphs and charm- covered banners. Only the colour scheme of the place was different, being that of soft pastels: mauve, blue and grey as opposed the warm colours of the other temples. In the midst of all this the four tall High Summoner statues looked down onto him, never ceasing to amaze him with their staggering presence: silent demagogues to the people. Crouched low under the shadow of the first of the four was Wakka, obviously his run in with Rikku had left his faith shaken and through the medium of prayer, he felt he could redeem himself.

Yet, only one question entered Tidus' mind as they were standing there looking somewhat out of place in the centre of the great hall: where was Yuna? The answer lay right before him in the form of a narrow stairwell: the stairs to the Chamber of the Fayth, which the same monk from the door had taken upon himself to guard jealously as if some mighty treasure lay hidden within.

Tidus ventured to approach him but was stopped short as an ear-shattered scream suddenly pierced the air, making his blood run cold. The entire room swung their attention to one of the small side doors adjacent to the stairs which flung open frenziedly in answer.

"Lord Jyscal!" A woman burst from within and fell to her knees, trembling like a leaf on the cold marble floor. "A sphere in Lady Yuna's belongings!" she gasped for air, fraught with terror.

The guardians responded in lightning speed at the mention of their summoner, racing to the room without so much as a word between them, for they all knew deep down that the elusive sphere housed a dire secret that Yuna would not divulge.

Upon entering, the nuns inside the room scattered frantically like a nest of ants, shielding themselves from the sphere which now lay abandoned in the middle of the floor. Bending down, Tidus seized it, unable to shake off the growing disgust he had for them for actually having the sheer nerve to rifle through Yuna's things while she wasn't present.

"This may well answer a few questions." Auron said, motioning for Tidus to activate it.

The blitzer did so, and like Jecht's sphere the device chugged and whirred before presenting them with a startling image. They could see a wide vista, shrouded in mist, and from out of the depths a ghostly figure stepped forth, withered and torn: Jyscal Guado.

"_What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth. I swear it on my honour as a Guado." _he said suddenly in a thin whispering voice, that sent shivers down their very spines. _"Listen to me very carefully for I shall tell you the truth about my son, Seymour. His mind is closed even to me, a maester of Yevon. But I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart. He is using Yevon, the Guado, and even the summoners. If he is not stopped, he will surely bring destruction and chaos to Spira." _He paused momentarily as some heart-shattering grief was rendering him immobile._ "I will leave this world soon, killed by my own son. But I do not fault him. Because I was not wise enough, he has suffered, and become twisted. I could not protect him and his mother from the world and its cruelty. I will accept death as punishment for my deeds. But… whoever is watching this… I implore you to stop Seymour! Stop my son."_

As the sphere flickered to nothing the guardians were rooted to the spot with a mixture of horror and dread, all realising simultaneously the reason behind Yuna's change of decision.

"Just wonderful." Auron stated acerbically.

"Will Yuna be all right?" Rikku cut in worriedly.

Auron strode over to the door resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Without us, no."

She hurried after him with Kimahri, whose spear was already poised for action. Tidus followed suit, grasping Brotherhood tightly.

"Where you goin'?" Wakka exclaimed. He after all was still resolute in his belief in Yevon; the fact that Seymour had committed a crime, let alone murder, wouldn't even compute.

"You saw it, didn't you?" Tidus asserted, staring daggers at the sphere that Auron had cast aside as he left. "Seymour's bad news!" he declared resolutely, quite proud of the fact that his gut instinct had been right all along. He stepped out the door.

"But he's a maester!" Wakka cried in protest.

"Fine!" Tidus retorted heatedly. "Stay here if you want!"

"Come on Wakka." Lulu urged, with a persuasive glint in her eyes. "Let's at least hear Seymour out."

Wakka's shoulders sagged suddenly as the discomfiting weight of mortification seemed to pound down on him like a brick wall. "This can't be happening…" he groaned.

With an affronted sigh, he stumbled after his companions as they rushed out to the main hall, only to find the monk that had been guarding the stairs led out flat on his back at their feet. With a cry soiled in anger, he rose to his feet and dusted himself off hastily as Tidus raced up past him.

"That Ronso…He- … Bevelle will hear about this!!!!" he shrieked wildly as the doors to the trials shut firmly behind them, drowning out his further screams.

Fuelled with a new vehemence, Tidus zoomed down the corridor that lay ahead, its cold glittering surface blurring past him speedily. Mystical frost rose out from either side of him, tickling his senses with inert fervour as he focused his attention forwards to the doors waiting ajar before him with Auron by their side.

"Kimahri's up ahead. Go." The man announced as Tidus reached him.

"Right!" The blitzer shot through them instantly without heeding what danger may lay within.

Auron now turned to Wakka, who was still rue to approach. "We will protect Yuna from anyone. Even a maester." He avowed firmly.

Wakka rubbed his head uncomfortably in response. "This can't be happening." he groaned again.

"If he is truly at fault, it must be done." Lulu added in a desperate bid to reassure him.

Meanwhile within, Tidus found himself staring head on at the enigmatic door to the Chamber of the Fayth, fractured light ricocheting from every contour of its oval magnitude. Before it expanded a wide circular room with a frosty blue tiled floor, where Seymour lay in wait.

Tidus' heart raced wildly as he perceived the maester accompanied by two of his sallow entourage. Kimahri already had his spear primed and ready, but Seymour barely acknowledged the ronso's presence as he lingered there, facing the Chamber door motionless.

"Seymour!" Tidus was unable to hold his peace for long and bounded towards him headlong, the maester's name falling from his mouth like sour bile, overflowing with contempt.

"Please be silent." Seymour stated nonchalantly without so much as a look in their direction. "Lady Yuna prays to the Fayth."

Bitter malevolence scorched Tidus from within, powering his will with wild indignation. "Make me." He unsheathed his sword with such ferocity that it let loose a shrill cry, cutting through the air so fiercely that the resulting breeze unsettled the maester's outlandish hair.

Seymour swung round in answer. His steel-cold eyes widening in soundless reply, silently goading the blitzer; taunting him as he remained unmoved by Tidus' words.

Then without warning, the Fayth door lifted up suddenly, and a dishevelled Yuna stumbled out from within, dizzy with fatigue.

"Yuna!" Tidus cried .

The summoner swooned back in surprise. "But why…?" she asked aghast, questioning their presence there.

"We saw Jyscal's sphere." Tidus explained quickly.

Auron approached, his threatening gaze fixed on the maester firmly. "You killed him."

Seymour cocked his head to the side indifferently. "What of it?" He turned to Yuna, his eyes now alight with silver, maleficent flame. "Lady Yuna, certainly you knew of these things, did you not?"

She nodded uncomfortably.

"Well then, why have you come here?" He inquired, a hidden glee now surfacing from under his skin.

"I came…" her words faded as if lost, as if she didn't know. But at that moment she threw her eyes upon him, as hard as glittering diamonds, and her resolve was unleashed. "I came to stop you!"

"I see." he replied dryly as if he'd anticipated her strident response and was now inwardly gloating; gratified by her reaction. "You came to punish me, then." With a slow gesture he offered his hand to her, as if suggesting she were so weak that she would give into him, just to avoid confrontation.

She stared at him momentarily, aware of the terrible elation now brewing within his brutal gaze and slowly she stepped back. His attempt to make her will bend to his had failed as she fled to the safety of her guardians. But the maester remained unconcerned.

"What a pity." he stated thinly, almost mockingly, letting his arm drop gracefully by his side.

Tidus, Auron and Kimahri leapt before Yuna defensively as he began to peruse her every move from afar.

A wry smiled painted itself over Seymour's pallid lips, observing their faithful display. "Ah, of course." he laughed acerbically. 'Protect the summoner even at the cost of one's life'. The Code of the Guardian. How admirable." With a sneer he loosened his long flowing sleeve and snapped his gnarled fingers brusquely. "Well, if you're offering your lives, I will have to take them."

A maniacal ferocity now shone from within him as his entourage sprang to life, pulsing magicks emanating from their withered Guado hands. The summoner party readied themselves for the onslaught, but a voice among them sliced through the air suddenly.

"I may trust them with my life, but they are also my friends." Yuna stated, staring Seymour boldly in the eye. "I will fight you too!"

His lip curled back with an derisive leer and he clenched his now magic-induced fist feverishly. "So be it."

"Maester Seymour" Wakka cried desperately as the maester's entourage leapt upon them, casting forth bolts of searing magic. "You must stop this!"

But Seymour's ears were deaf to him as the remainder of the summoner party lead a brutal assault on his guards, beating them back with ease. All he focused on was Yuna, his eyes never leaving her delicate form as she fought desperately to heal her companions and provide them with magical support.

"Your eyes… they burn with resolve!" He cried amidst the tumult, "… Beautiful."

The last of his entourage fell with the ending of his words and Tidus, consumed with rage fled towards him blindly, striking him down with a single blow. The maester careered backwards, not even bothering to dodge the attack. Tidus halted in surprise at this, wondering what on earth the maester was planning. With an effort, Seymour staggered to his feet, and to their amazement a fixed smile was on his face. "Impressive." He gasped. "But let's see how you deal with this." He raised his arms up to the heavens, lightning sparking from every pore. "Feel my pain! Come Anima!"

In an instant the room darkened, and a mighty pulsing vortex replaced that which had been the domed ceiling. From within an anchor, armed with four spokes emerged, rusted with black blood and housed on a gargantuan chain. With the sheer strength of its weight it plummeted down towards them, colliding into another trembling vortex before their feet. A haunting shriek echoed out from beneath as it did so and suddenly the chain pulled taut.

Tidus knew what was coming, he'd seen it before. And he was right.

Rising out of the depths, they were met with the tremendous form of Anima; tall and threatening like a shackled demon raked up out of Hell. Blood drizzled like crimson rain from her visible eye and saturated her manacled arms, colouring the pallid sinews a thick, glutinous red. She wailed harrowingly in torment, thrashing her head to and fro as the rusting chains about her neck drove into the flesh, ripping the skin apart in an excruciating display She was pain, suffering and incarceration all manifested in a single being; but chained also to Seymour's will.

Yuna, however, was already prepared for such a foe, and held her staff aloft defiantly. The room grew bitingly cold in answer, chilling their very bones to the core. And from the arising mist, another figure was brought to life. Chiming like the trees of Macalania woods, the figure floated down from nothingness, gracefully like a tumbling leaf. Landing on her feet before them, the figure cast aside her mist-shrouded cloak to reveal her ethereal sapphire body; sparsely clothed yet comprised completely of glittering ice. She was Shiva, the ice maiden of Macalania, and Yuna's new Aeon.

Tidus staggered back behind her, gazing at the new aeon in awe, unaware that aeons could appear in such humanoid form. Small and frail even, Shiva seemed; yet in her body was housed a tremendous magical strength, unrivalled by any aeon.

Anima reeled back in response to her presence and began to tremble violently, unchained magicks swelling within her blood-shot eye; her pain. With a scream of despair, she unbridled her power, sending forth a tremendous beam of grief-soaked light towards them. Shiva stood her ground, patiently awaiting. And just as the beam met the party, retorted with a small gesture of her hand, nonchalant, nothing more. In a flash, a wide disk opened out before them, clothing them in luminescent light and the soaring beam crashed into its honeycomb surface chaotically, scattering into harmless sparks; like water breaking upon rock.

Seymour fell back in disgust. "Destroy her!" he ordered.

But Shiva had already fallen into a deep trance, her azure gaze frosted over as she inhaled the cool air shakily. With a blink of the eye, she held her hand out towards the shackled beast and blew as if sending a simple kiss. Thick mist swirled from her cyan lips, enshrouding her rival in a icy torrent, from within which a loud cracking noise emitted.

Anima was slowly being frozen alive, and there was nothing she could do about it. She thrashed wildly, but her magicks were spent to sorrow as she slowly solidified into a statue of her former self. Seymour was lost for words as Shiva concluded her attack with another simple, yet meaningful gesture. With genteel precision, she snapped her fingers and the beast before her shattered into a million glass pieces, transforming into nothing more than rubble before them.

Crimson wrath welled in Seymour's eyes as his aeon finally disappeared and shrivelled away, banished to return from whence it came. "That power that defeated Anima! It will be mine!" He launched forwards before any could hinder him and wild flames of blistering hue blasted from his fingertips, meeting Shiva with such force that she could not quench their heat. He laughed hysterically as her powerless form melted beyond recognition into a ball of mush before him, sending her back to recover in the realm from which she'd come.

Yet, as the maester revelled in his display of power, he was caught off guard, not caring to notice the shimmering blue steel that sliced into his body so hungrily, much to the satisfaction of its owner. It was closely followed by thick dull steel of the samurai sword and the piercing spear, pride of the Ronso.

Wasted, spent; Seymour's body fell to the floor. As always Yuna's compassion supplanted her defiance, and she was the first to rush to his tattered form; now broken beyond repair thanks to the strength of her guardians.

"Yuna." He wheezed, fighting for breath. "You would pity me now?"

She hesitated, gazing down into his weakening eyes, remembering what he'd done and stepped back unwilling.

He died there, Seymour; leader of the Guado, his father was avenged and his wish granted. He was well and truly taken care of.

To be continued…

_AN: Thank god that chapter is over! I know, I know it's uber long and I am still thoroughly unhappy about the first half, but I just had to fit everything in otherwise the whole structure of my next chapter would be screwed up._

_Chapter 19 will be even longer though, I can see it already! But it's a very important chapter, it has to be long… that's what I keep telling myself anyway!_


	19. Identity Crisis

_Thanks to everyone that reviewed and took the time to read last time round! I'm on over 10,000 hits now, and it's all thanks to you guys! Thank you!_

Chapter 19: Identity Crisis.

As the last sign of life drifted from his body, Yuna, overwhelmed by her natural benevolence, bent down low and performed her last gesture of kindness to the man she'd once revered in the closing of his sapphire-feathered lids. As she brushed her hand over his calcified eyes, her guardians gathered about her warily, as if some final wisp of life would burst out of him in a last desperate attempt to finish them off. But it was not so.  
Staring into his frozen, ashen face, they could see no indication of life left in there. He was a hollow vessel, and only one thing was left to do to prevent his undesired return.

"Lord Seymour!" A terror-induced shriek echoed out behind them suddenly, shattering the ubiquitous silence with chilling severity. It was followed by the loud squeal of the antechamber doors flinging open frantically; before the party had even had the chance to think they were already about to face to consequences of their actions.

Tromell was stood there in the doorway, wheezing terribly as if he'd raced all the way from Guadosalam. He was accompanied by two others, similar in appearance as all Guado were. By the look on their faces, it was more than evident that the sound of the party's clash with Seymour had not gone unheard. As their languid eyes scoured the room a horrific scene awaited and Tidus felt his heart pound as he watched their faces draw wildly with dismay when the ragged form of their beloved leader met them, spread-eagled on the cold marble floor.

Tromell quaked, staggering down the steps towards him frenziedly; his deep brow loosening as his face washed over to a deathly-white hue. "W-What happened here?" he gushed, overflowing with unbridled despair.

The company parted, and he fled to Seymour's side, clutching the young maester's face tightly with his dry, cracked hands.

"What… What have I done?" Wakka managed to muster sorrowfully, falling back as they observed the grief-torn Tromell shake Seymour hysterically, calling his name amid a sea of tears.

"Wait a minute! It's not our fault at all" Tidus upheld intensely, catching his fellow guardian's words. He watched as the last slithers of Seymour's blood clotted and fizzled of the edge of his cerulean blade. "Seymour struck first! _He's_ the bad guy!"

Tromell and his entourage sprang to life suddenly as they hunched over the maester's repugnant corpse, "_You_ did _this_?" The old man cried shrilly, heaving himself to his feet with a new fervour brewing within; his consternation now replaced for purest, scolding rage.

"Yuna. Send him." Auron interjected swiftly, he didn't at all seem willing to let the maester's man-servant get in his way as breeding pyreflies rive in Seymour's body would surely create him again unsent any time soon.

Yuna understood and obeyed, raising her staff, but the furious old guado leapt before her in a fraught endeavour, grasping Seymour to his chest tightly. "No, stop!" he screamed, frayed with anguish. "Stay away from him, traitors!" His vicious utterance tapered off into a bitter hiss; festering with the foulest of pestilence.

Stunned, Yuna reeled back at the poisoned slur, staring with wide eyes.

With an effort, Tromell's young accomplices dragged the tall maester to an upward stance and hauled him behind them to the door, bypassing the horrified summoner in a less dignified fashion than desired for their leader.

As the door slammed shut behind them, she repeated the guado's words with failing breath. "Traitors…?" she sank limply to her knees as her eyes roved, horror-struck as the vilifying word set in, like salt in an open wound.

"We're finished." Wakka cried, reeling around to grapple with his forehead anxiously.

"Now hold on just a minute!" Tidus butted in loudly in a bid to reassure them. "Seymour's the bad guy, right? We'll just explain to everyone what happened!"

"It won't be that easy…" Auron hinted darkly, dampening the blitzer down. "Let's get out of here."

With fresh adrenaline coursing through their veins, the party took his advice and bolted out of the antechamber doors back the way which they came down the ice-encased corridor; each one of them knowing that once they'd entered the great chamber of the temple, the Guado would be waiting. And they were right.

"Please…" Yuna begged instantly, hurrying down the cloister steps as they perceived the awaiting host eye them grimly from afar, each one of them seemingly charged to attack.

"Give us a chance to explain." Auron added, dashing to join her amidst the growing array of gaunt faces. Seymour's body, however, was nowhere to be seen amongst the crowd.

"No need, I already know what I'll tell the other maesters." Tromell retorted suddenly from within the group; his voice now long and haunting in tone.

Auron raised his eyebrow from behind his dark glasses. "Meaning…?"

"Lord Seymour was the leader of the Guado before becoming a maester."

Tidus marched forwards, his eyes steeped in severity upon hearing the guado's scathing words. "You're not letting us go."

An ominous light twinkled in Tromell's dark gaze. "Let you go? Lord Seymour would never forgive us if we did."

The haggard group about them closed in suddenly.

"Wait, wait!" Rikku cried out in desperation before they were torn limb from limb. "Jyscal's sphere! We can show it to them!"

"You mean _this_?" Tromell unveiled the very object from his sour-coloured tunic and held it over her mockingly.

Aghast, the Al Bhed sprang up to claim it, but the device, under some strange spell, shattered to smithereens within his wrinkled hand.

"Hey!" She and Tidus yelled in unison as their hopes of a reprieve were impeded.

"The Guado take care of Guado affairs." Tromell announced bitterly, signalling to the others.

"Away!" Kimahri lunged at them savagely, brandishing his spear with vehement wrath.

Taking full advantage of the ronso's pre-emptive strike, Auron belted past him, bowling over as many Guado as he could with the blunt edge of his sword. "Run!" He ordered, as their foes scattered, toppling over like skittles in a frenzied domino effect before them. The other guardians followed suit immediately, tearing through the chaos to the main doors before their enemies even had the time to re-gather their senses.

However, once they'd reached the safety of the cave outside, they knew it would only be a matter of time before the host within regrouped. Pursuit was imminent.

Had it been any other situation, they could've dealt with the horde with ease; but under the current circumstances, namely the murder of a maester, the party weren't for lingering. Fleeing as if lashed by mighty thrashing whips, they scrambled up around the coiling ice path, fighting their way up the slippery slope to the cave mouth; the scuttling footsteps of the Guado gaining on their every step.

At the very instant upon reaching the cave entrance, a small host had already caught up to them, magic unfurled and lusting for battle. The party responded the only way they knew how, beating the Guado back in a series of vicious assaults. Thanks to the magical abilities of Yuna and Lulu, the battle didn't go too awry, and even the strange fiends summoned by their enemies for aid were subdued; leaving a few questions about the sinister powers harboured within the Guado…

When the party reached their destination, the cold air welcomed them back callously, painting their faces with a raw, crimson sheen. Tidus gasped, filling his lungs with the harsh, biting breeze; it felt as though they'd been stuck under the ice for an age. But, the temptation of slipping back inside still lingered as he felt the inert chill reach around and nip his ears sharply.

Casting the warming thought from his mind, he probed their path onwards, shielding his eyes from the shredding shards of ice that danced coldly in the prevailing air stream. The ice machina of the Al Bhed were gone. There was no trace of them left behind, they'd disappeared; the work of the Guado he figured. Continuing on foot was the only option left to them, a dangerous choice they never intended to make, but one that Yuna and Tromell had survived earlier.

Undeterred by the unforeseen setback, the summoner party carried on regardless, traversing onwards over the slippery ice paths; not one of them daring to look down over into the dark pit before them. Yet no sooner had they crept onto the teetering glacial surface ascending over it, the hostile blackness awoke. Freezing gusts of ice-infused wind blasted up out of the tenebrous chasm, ricocheting against their skin in a bitter attempt to entice them down into to the sordid abyss, where a long and lingering death awaited. Trembling in defiance, they edged along ignoring its icy pleas, grappling at well-worn gouges in the jagged glacial wall to their side. Judging by the sheer depth and scarlet colour of some of the claw-marks, it seemed as though that marauding breeze had succeeded in its endeavour on more than one occasion. Tidus shuddered at the fact, clenching his frozen fists in his gloves. He could sense that the ice plain was near, the great lake. Where their next destination was after that, he didn't know; he didn't care. The sooner they rid themselves of this vertigo-instilling experience, the better.

He couldn't have been more happy, when the pallid meadow opened out before them once again in the distance; its white sheen still glittering beautifully under the now waning sun. But as they skidded out onto its smooth flawless surface, something in the atmosphere changed, something about the place didn't seem right at all; and no sooner had they discovered the fact the answer sprang out at them with fervent glee.

The inimitable summoner party had stumbled headfirst into a trap, where, slavering like ravening predators the Guado waited; their chilling magic already expended in the towering form of a maleficent beast.

Wild fires of indignation churned in its carmine eyes, searing the company's flesh from afar, as it raised its almighty fists to the heavens. Covered from head-to-toe in ashen hair that billowed wildly in the wind, it let loose a heinous roar, exposing its rotten, purulence-coated fangs. From within its ogre-like form, a strange rage seemed to pulse, a crazed and suppressed rage that screamed for release.

The party watched with growing unease as the two Guado before them, began to chant in long and muffled tones, staring blankly into each other's eyes.

Bracing themselves, the guardians unveiled their weapons. But the Guado, unflinching, continued to let the strange droning syllables pour like bile from their mouths. With each dribbling word, the creature grew in stature, its muscle tone escalating to astronomical proportions.

Charged now, as a physical manifestation of its master's powers, it sprang upwards and crashed down upon the plain, driving its concrete fist into the surface with staggering force. Stumbling back, the summoner party struggled to keep their footing. But their attempt was in vain, as the ice beneath them suddenly blasted asunder, shattering into a million razor-sharp shards. Slaves to the supremacy of gravity and the fiend before them, they could do nothing but allow themselves to be dragged down into the gaping void beneath the lake ice. Plummeting down into oblivion, unto what fate they did not know.

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A terrible tremor pulsed in Tidus' head. A deep, binding ache, that churned, undulating like an immeasurable torrent through his skull. Now blinded by his dizzying eyes, he lay there paralysed and bilious, wondering where in Spira he'd ended up this time. A peculiar scent enveloped him then, filling his heart with a sense of strange reminiscence. Shuddering as if his veins were made of ice, he forced his heavy limbs to movement. As he did so, a sweet mellifluent sound accompanied the encompassing fragrance about him, the evocative chords easing his raging pain in his head.

But before he could pin the notes down, his eyes sprang open suddenly, unveiling his new surroundings shrouded before him in mysterious wisps of ashen mist.

Intrigued and slightly suspicious of this new place, he staggered to his feet clumsily, twisting his ankle in the act. With a malcontent groan, he reached down to grasp the source of the pain, which throbbed now as zealously as his head. Gritting his teeth, he lurched backwards, falling back down onto some sort of big stone behind him. He squinted into the distance as he regained his balance; his azure gaze becoming accustomed to the low light, and revealing his new whereabouts.

Serrated remains of what once had been a prodigious building lay strewn all about him in morose disarray; their deep russet colourings faded through time and mildewed a rancid green. Long, tatty trails of feathery moss dangled from every available recess, leaving avenues of potholes in their wake, where they'd sucked all the moisture from the stonework.

Again, much like the ruins he was stuck in when he first arrived in Spira, Tidus found that this place, too, was partly submerged in stagnant, grey water. Yet, here, it was significantly shallower, and enshrouded in that blanket of thin white mist.

Feeling still dazed and woozy from the fall, he focused more on his closer surroundings in search of familiar faces amongst the disorder; being lost alone amongst dank, stinking ruins was one thing he only wanted to experience once in his lifetime. So it was a relief to him when two that he recognised leapt out of the mist nearby; namely Auron and Lulu. Straining further onwards, he could see that the others weren't too far away either as he picked their silhouettes out of the distance. Alleviated by the discovery, he let go a loose sigh.

"'_Praise be to Yevon'.  
That's what I would've said, if I was a follower of Yevon.  
We were all there, and in one piece.  
Even if I had a headache from wondering what was in store for us next."_

"We're under the lake ice, aren't we?"

Tidus glanced up in answer.

Lulu was gazing up at the gaping hole in the colourless roof above thoughtfully, her ruby eyes reading every aspect of their new environment with deep intrigue. "Look. That's the bottom of the temple."

Tidus followed the direction which she was focusing, and sure enough, the sight of the holy place struck him, suspended like a cold chrysalis in the distance.

"We've fallen a long way." Lulu surmised eventually, looking back to him with a roaming glance.

The blitzer nodded, although wondered how on earth they weren't all drowned if the plain above was supposedly a 'lake'. It must've been some weird effect that the temple had on the place, much like the fact that stray clusters of pyreflies were present in the area, dancing to and fro in amongst the empty shell of the building encircling them.

"What now, I wonder." Auron sighed suddenly, folding his broad arms.

"'_What_ _now_'?" Tidus repeated, screwing his face up as he peeled his drenched hair out of his face. "You act first and think later, don't you?" He stated, recalling Auron's impromptu attack on Tromell and co. in the temple hall. "I mean, can't you be a little more responsible? We're all depending on you. You know?"

The man peered at him darkly over the rim of his glasses he rose to his feet. "A lecture?"

"No, no, no. Just a suggestion." Tidus grimaced with a nervous giggle, shaking his arms defensively; he could sense where this was leading, he'd strayed this far too many times before.

"You should place trust in your friends." Auron countered sternly, looking him square in the eye. "But you can't expect someone to protect you all the time. You would do well to remember that."

Tidus folded his arms astutely. "Is _that _a lecture?"

"It's advice."

The blitzer's shoulders sagged at the statement; he was outdone again by the ever-erudite Auron. 'Advice', it was more like a kick in the teeth.

Not wanting the warrior to administer another dose, he slonked off, and found himself clambering off over the damp wreckage toward a very contrite-looking Wakka, now slumped atop a scabrous boulder. The islander buried his face in his hands as Tidus approached, scraping his fingers dejectedly into his eyelids.

"Hey, Wakka, would you cheer up?" Tidus implored, reading him immediately. "Look, we only did what we had to do." The blitzer knew words alone weren't nearly enough to console his public denigration, but try was all he could do.

Wakka released his face from his clawing grasp and met the blitzer with an irritated scowl. "It doesn't matter! Don't you see?" He stormed, rubbing his head in exasperation. "I've always walked the path of Yevon… but now, I'm a _traitor_." He grated his teeth like an enraged bull. "How could this happen?" The bulging eyes now glowering in his sockets swung around, finding their target in Rikku standing someway back in the distance, crouching down at intervals to pick pink snails off the decaying debris. "Damn." He growled, cupping his clenched fist.

"It's not Rikku's fault either." Tidus stated blankly, aiming to knock his friend off his presumptuous pedestal.

Wakka turned back with sullen composure at the remark. "You don't know how I feel." He sighed, driving his head back down between his knees.

Tidus stepped back; Wakka was right. No matter what he'd experienced in Spira, he couldn't even come close to understanding what it was like to be abandoned by something that you believed in. But then, as he dismissed the thought, something struck him… he _did_ know what it was like, and only one thing sprang to mind: Jecht.

Tidus had believed in his father once, long ago; but things were different then. He was young, naïve, even; too naïve to see how his Jecht was treating him. Now he knew, and he'd hated him for it ever since. But something niggled at Tidus from deep inside and the haunting words spoken directly to him from his father's sphere reverberated once more in his mind…_ "I believe in you…"_ Tidus grew numb as he silently pondered over the hushed syllables, and again the unavoidable words of Auron wriggled back into his head; _"Jecht loved you…" _He'd managed to escape those words until now, when they hit him, sinking in deep like the razor-sharp fangs of a voracious fiend. He was torn, not wanting to believe and not wanting to accept. Sure, his father could love him… but after all that had happened, could he return the feeling…?

Finding that he was stuck at a dead end, the blitzer let himself and Wakka be, he didn't want to aggravate his or the islander's sensitivities any more than he'd done so already, and besides, he hadn't seen Yuna or asked of Seymour since the fight in the temple. Traipsing over the slimy, shattered walls, he made his way towards where Rikku was. Yuna was sure to be nearby.

Although once the blitzer got within a closer proximity, a staggering sight met him, sending frantic shockwaves through his body. Yuna: unconscious, strewn haphazardly across a flattened bed of stone. Tidus' pace quickened with the racing rhythm of his heart, and he dashed towards her head on. It was only when a thick blue-haired arm grasped him, that the blitzer regained his composure.

Wriggling out of the ronso's grip, he padded over to her location, closely followed by Rikku.

"I'm sure Yunie's okay." She reassured, seeming to sense Tidus' anxiety as he bowed over her, his eyes alight with unease. "I mean, she breathing fine and all." The Al Bhed wrung the putrid water from her hair accompanied by a weak smile.

Tidus exhaled deeply, and focused his attention solely on the prone summoner led before him. Light drifted down in fragmented shafts from the shattered roof above and cast about her an ethereal glow, highlighting her smooth, porcelain skin in subtle white tones. Glistening drops of dew had settled in her dark hair cast about her shoulders so loosely as she lay there breathing tenuously like some kind of ethereal being amongst the disorder surrounding them.

The slow marching footsteps of Kimahri approached from behind. "Yuna will wake soon. Kimahri knows this." his low growling voice uttered confidently, before he ground to a halt beside her, folding his arms; playing sentinel as ever.

"How are Lulu and Wakka?" Rikku interjected, knocking Tidus from his dream-like state.

The blitzer looked up hazily to catch her curious stare. "Wakka's all bent out of shape… can't blame him, either." He looked back over to his fellow blitzer, finding him still hunched over like he had no head. "And, Lulu, well, she the same as always." he affirmed, turning back.

"She's so together." Rikku confirmed clasping her hands together with a skip. "All grown up, I guess."

"I guess." Tidus echoed, not catching on.

Rikku's jade eyes twinkled with a sudden mischievous light. "Well… just gimme five or six more years…" She purred, curving her hands over her chest as if she had gigantic boobs, and slapping herself on the butt with a crafty waggle of her eyebrows.

Startled beyond words and slightly unnerved her overt display, Tidus backed off with contorted brows. "So, er, Kimahri… how do we get outta here?" he blurted out, turning to the ronso for help.

"Hey! Don't change the subject!" Rikku exclaimed, punching the blitzer in the arm sharply.

"We climb." Kimahri responded, motioning up towards the gaping white ceiling.

Rikku leapt up before him suddenly, thrusting her hands on her hips with a disgruntled cry. "Kimahri, too!"

The ronso's feline eyes constricted as he gazed at her deeply. "Only those who try will become."

"Huh?" She scratched her head perplexed.

"I think he means you have to try hard if you wanna be like Lulu." Tidus clarified.

"Oh, I will!" She cried in answer, punching the air with inherent zeal.

"Kimahri think Rikku should stay Rikku." The ronso interjected forthrightly with a brisk nod.

"What?" Rikku gasped, overcome with dismay and completely misunderstanding the wise guardian's words. "Are you saying I'll never be like Lulu? _Kimahri_!" She jumped up and down on the spot, clenching her fists with a pout.

Seeing her petulant display drove Tidus into a fit of uncontrolled giggles, until Wakka reprimanded him loudly from afar.

"How can you guys laugh at a time like this?" he snapped, shooting them a callous glare.

But, his acidity was cut short as the summoner stirred.

"Yuna." Tidus voiced softly as she heaved herself up to a seated position with a light groan, cupping her head slowly with her hand.

She swooned as she struggled to her feet, allowing Tidus to support her before she gained her bearings. Her awakening didn't go unnoticed, and her other guardians had soon flocked around her, the same question written on all their faces.

"I wanted to confront Maester Seymour about his father Jyscal." she explained ruefully under the piercing light of their penetrating eyes. "I wanted to convince him to turn himself in to Yevon's judgement."

"In exchange for _marriage_?" Lulu interposed with alarm.

"Yes, if that's what it took." Yuna admitted, bowing her head; her eloquent tones bound now with remorse.

"So, what did Seymour say?" Tidus asked, crouching down beside her.

Yuna looked vague. "He didn't say anything… Now… now, I don't even know if it was worth it." she sighed sorrowfully. "I should've told you what I was going to do…"

"_Enough_!" Auron cut in, entreating her silence sharply. "Dwelling in the past is futile."

"Hey! You don't have to say it like _that_!" Rikku retorted hastily, leaping to her cousin's defence.

"You want to waste time listening to her regrets?" The warrior snapped sardonically.

Rikku's shoulders sagged limply at the chastisement. "You _don't_ have to say it like that…"

"Our immediate concern is Yuna's pilgrimage." Auron continued with unyielding authority. "Are you willing to go on?" he asked, turning to his attention back to the summoner.

"Yes." she replied immediately, but hesitated shortly thereafter with a fearful intake of breath. "But then, do you think Yevon will allow it?"

"The Fayth are the ones that give power to the summoners. Not the temples or the teachings." He affirmed. "If the temples try to stop us… then we will defy Yevon if we must!"

The company swooned falling to deathly silence comprehending his words; such words of utter blasphemy coming from the lips of one of the Yevon's most revered guardians. He protected the last High Summoner, after all.

Yet, surprisingly, Rikku was the first to voice her opinion. "I can't believe you said that!" she cried, shattering the stunned silence.

"Sir Auron?" Lulu followed, awash with concern as if she was half-expecting him to admit to the joke.

But he did not. He wasn't joking, he was deadly serious… and adhering to his radical proposal would make them all bona fide traitors…

Suddenly aware of this, Wakka ventured forwards. "Count me out." He proclaimed truculently. "We have to atone to make up for the sins we have committed. Of course… I'll never forgive Maester Seymour for killing Lord Jyscal, and for trying to do us all in, too, you know. But, the bunch of us going against Yevon…? No _way_!" His stance was resolute with the strong clenching of his fist.

"But still, we have transgressed and must face our punishment." Lulu added with a grave shake of her head, a deep guilt now reflecting in her eyes.

"We must go to Bevelle." Yuna agreed. "We must speak with Maester Mika and explain what has happened. There is no other way, I think."

"I agree." Wakka nodded.

"Sir Auron…" Yuna's dual gaze flickered over to him suppliantly.

By the dire look in his face, his insane proposal remained unchanged. "So it is decided."

"Will you come with us?" she implored.

Something in his harsh demeanour softened then. "I am the troublemaker, after all." He admitted, letting his guard down a touch.

"Yeah, that's right! " Tidus chipped in brashly, seizing his chance. "You can always count on Auron to complicate things!" He knew all too well the complications that came with knowing Auron; after all he'd put up with the guy for ten years already!

"Yeah!" Rikku agreed with a pout joining in the fray. "Kimahri roars and Auron runs off and…"

"I never asked you to follow me." Auron frowned.

"Hey, but that's what friends are for, right?" Tidus put forward brightly.

Rikku's face lit up like a little picture hearing his response and she blushed timidly. "Yep! First time a non- Al Bhed called me that." She swung back and forth suddenly, teetering about on her tiptoes.

The summoner looked to Tidus as her cousin fought her glowing cheeks desperately. "Thank you."

"Huh?" He didn't understand completely the meaning of her gratitude as the party dispersed, looking for a way to escape the ruins surrounding them, but he accepted it none the less.

It was then that the melodious sound returned, piercing the air about them with sweet-pitched resonance. Now louder than before, Tidus could sense that the soothing chords were flowing from somewhere nearby. Enchanted, he scanned their surroundings for the source. His eyes fell on only one thing.

"Is that coming from the temple?" He asked, viewing the summoner still in his presence.

"Yes," she breathed, bowing in reverence to the mighty structure. "It is Yevon's gift. It soothes the hearts of the faithful." Before she had chance to explain further, she was ushered away to the safety of Kimahri, leaving Tidus with only Lulu and Auron for company, yet again, whilst Rikku peeped at him from afar with a suppressed grin.

"Who…is that singing?" Tidus quizzed, finding his voice again as the esoteric melody numbed his coherence.

Lulu shot a knowing glance over to the pendulous structure in the distance. "The fayth."

"The fayth?" He repeated in surprise. "What? It can sing?"

"Of course it can! Don't be a fool." She chided, although her intentions weren't harsh.

Tidus gazed over at the temple bottom pensively as she wandered away toward Wakka. Many questions were answered in that instant. The Hymn of the Fayth: it had surfaced before, so many times in his life; and now here of all places he finally grasped wherehe'd heard it. Yet, as he mulled quietly over the fact, the familiar feeling that he was being watched passed over him.

"Jecht used to sing this song…" Auron stated as he turned in question. Tidus observed the man propped up against the remainder of a rustic wall, deep reminiscence stirring within his dark eyes.

"Yeah, over and over." Tidus groaned, falling into a laugh. "But not _this_ good, that's for sure!" He chuckled, marvelling at the sweet female soprano voice.

"Another trait you share."

Tidus rooted with horror, instantly realised the gist Auron was picking at and felt he sinking down into a deep pit of utter mortification. "What!" he spluttered. "You were listening?"

Auron nodded, and Tidus could've sworn he saw him grinning sneakily behind the shelter of his high collar.

"Jeez, can't I get a little privacy?" the blitzer complained, recalling when the little 'incident' occurred. Back in Zanarkand, he would often sit out on the side terrace of the boathouse, looking out to sea… and he would often hum that song when the straying thoughts of his mind took him. Auron would often appear at these times, when Tidus was alone. He'd utter a few words of advice or give a lecture of some sort, either for having too many parties, or for missing a game to meet 'some girl'.

It was then that Auron heard him humming from afar, "Your singing reminded me of Spira." The warrior confessed.

"Oh, right." Tidus replied, his curiosity overcoming his embarrassment. "You're not originally from Zanarkand, are you? You homesick?"

"Maybe."

But as he mused on this, a thought suddenly struck Tidus hard, something he'd never really taken much note of before… "Say, how did you get to Zanarkand anyway?" he started, placing his hands on his hips incisively.

But with the ending of his utterance, the blitzer realised the answer was already before him, it already filled the darkest recesses of his mind; the same way it permeated the very light in Auron's eyes. Auron had got to Zanarkand the same way he'd arrived in Spira.

"Sin." Tidus felt the single syllable fall from his lips as if it were his last.

Auron's gaze remained steady; his deduction was spot on.

Tidus exhaled thinly, "Uh-huh, I thought so." His head plummeted downwards as at last he finally latched onto the painful truth…

"_That proved it.  
Sin was the link between Zanarkand and Spira.  
Which means… if we kill Sin, I'll never be able to go home."_

"We should get moving soon. " Auron began again, observing Tidus' grow breathless, as the slow-bearing realisation sank in.

But as the pained blitzer looked up to meet him, the ground unsettled, shifting slightly beneath them. Suspicion heightened as did their senses and they threw questionable glances to each other.

"The singing's stopped. " Lulu gasped suddenly, staring up.

But her answer came in the form of a terrific roar, guttural and filled with the purest degree of wrath, echoing out from all around them.

"There's something here!" Wakka warned, springing forwards with tremendous splash.

"The ground!" Auron signalled, stepping back.

Another roar, accompanied by a swift tremor followed as if something lingered under their very feet. Something that had been waiting in all quiescence beneath them, until now…

"Sin!" Yuna cried amidst the trembling fervour that began to ensue, jangling the quivering ruins into tangled hysteria. The silky sin spores soon followed, contaminating the air with their transcendent forms, like the dispersed seeds of a dandelion clock.

"The toxin! Watch out!" Lulu exclaimed heatedly, and the party were driven apart as the world about them awoke and shuddered violently, subduing them to its will.

They managed to scatter, shielding their mouths with whatever protection was available. But it was too late, infection was imminent, and the sweet, dark caress of the renowned toxin dream awaited.

Only Tidus remained, in the middle of what seemed to be chaos. His eyes were blind to his friends, strewn about him, seemingly lifeless as their lungs filled to capacity with the most putrid of spores. He felt himself fall to his knees, as did his heart, plummeting in his chest. His breathing slowed, and stray spores danced about him attentively, enshrouding him with their effervescent light. Their soft caress slowly soothed his still astonishment, and the stark realisation was almost spelled out to him in black and white as he reached out his hand to them, which they took fondly, almost embracing.

"_It was then that I knew … that Sin really was my old man.  
For the first time, I was finally able to believe it."_

"The song… You were listening, too! "He let his hand stretch out flat to the cold, wet floor before him and felt the connection like pulses of wild electricity coursing through his veins. A dizzying feeling took him, churning his head frenetically. He sighed as the spicy, piquant scent of poison flowed into his lungs, "What is it this time?" He knew what was coming; another toxin dream. His vision blurred and the last thing he felt was his limp body collapse from under him. The distant roar of Sin followed, quaking his very bones, and dream-like images suddenly entangled within his thoughts; only his consciousness could speak.

From within his distorted mind he saw a vision of home, a vision of the boathouse in which they used to live. "_Zanarkand_…" he heard himself exclaim. Three blitzballs were lined up on the porch outside, the way Jecht used to arrange them before practice. It was then that Tidus realised that what he was seeing were his father's thoughts, Jecht's memories of home. He was trying to communicate.

"_You homesick, too?" _Tidus sighed internally, feeling the heart-felt sorrow merge within him. _"That's… not your world anymore. You're Sin now." _

The image blurred in wildly in answer and Tidus found he looking at himself through Jecht's eyes, ten years younger… he was brunette then…

"_I'm older now, you know?" _He sighed, hearing Sin wail distantly.

Then suddenly, Jecht appeared before him, facing away as he stared resolutely in to vast vista of Zanarkand. His head bowed as a long heavy breath fell from him, bringing down his wide shoulders.

"_I know." _Tidus exhaled, sensing the reason behind it all. _"You want this to end… I'll find a way. Promise."_

The dream faded with the ending of his words and he felt himself consumed yet again by bright light. But, as reality took hold again, realigning his consciousness, he discovered that now more than ever before a strange kind of unison existed between him and Jecht. Even more so now that his father wasn't human. For the first time he felt a connection, a true connection between him and his father. From now on, they were in this together.

To be continued…

_AN: Grr, there's been one question that's been really plaguing me whilst I've been writing this chapter and it's really starting to get on my nerves! How do you guys say 'Tidus'?_

_I pronounce it Ty-dus… but the Japanese pronunciation would be… (Cringes as she LOATHES the sound of it) 'Tee-dus'…. Eew, soo wrong, my ears hurt. I started an argument with someone I know and they're adamant that it should be 'Teedus' even in English!!! Grah, I hate it!! It sounds so rubbish and not to mention lame!!! Tell what you think! Speak to you all soon, deers!_

_xxVSxx_

_Btw…almost forgot. If any of you guys wanna ask about my story or just talk general final fantasy ur more than welcome to come to my forum… It's not swarming with life… but hey at least you'll get an almost hasty reply, which is more than can say for my updating of chapters…(hangs head in shame) cya next time… where hopefully the 'truth' will be revealed…_


	20. Sanubia Sands

_Wow, thank you for such a wonderful response on the last chapter! Yay, Ty-dus rules!! Glad I'm not the only one that despises the other pronunciation! Thanks guys!_

_Sorry that I haven't updated in so long, but 2008 has been on the whole an entirely rubbish year so far. Firstly, the man (or should I say boy!) that I held as the love of my life dumped me and took my confidence with him. Then two months later my dad died suddenly at home. Life was pretty crap for a long while, but I think I'm gradually on the road to recovery now. The inevitable cliché rings true, life really is too short. So, I made the choice to get back on track and do what I love best. So, here I am. Hopefully, I'll be able to maintain the standard I've set for myself guys! Eeek, the pressure!  
I really do hope you enjoy this chapter. _

Chapter 20: Sanubia Sands.

Tidus lurched violently as the powerful chokehold of reality grasped hold once more. Its great, gnarled hands knotted around his skin, tearing at his flesh and dragging him down back into intemperate darkness. His lungs flooded suddenly with the rapid rush of warm water, suffusing him with uncontrollable panic. Thrashing wildly, his legs beat under him in frantic reply and he launched upwards, breaking the surface with a resounding crash.

He wheezed, choking, as the tepid air filled his lungs as if for the first time. Cascading rivulets trickled down his face, tickling his skin with their languid warmth as his blurred sense slowly returned.

He blinked lethargically, passing a stray hand over his eyes. A pulse of severe heat throbbed overhead. He flexed his arms out into a huge stretch, accompanied by a mighty yawn. He looked about blearily and discovered that he was now floating in a round, glittering pool. Its colour was clear and inviting under the intense heat of the sun, which was now scorching the back of his head virulently. Dotted about him, along the pool's edges, were several stunted palm trees and cactus-like plants, all armoured with thick, menacing spines and withered, yellowing skin. Their tough, wizened bodies were inclined towards him, entwined and tangled as if they were locked in a mighty tussle for the best drinking spot.

With an effort, Tidus gathered his strength and clambered out of the shallow water, gingerly avoiding the precarious spines. Straightening, he shook the tousled hair out of his eyes and regarded his far surroundings. _"Where am I?", _he groaned, rubbing his burning head roughly.

He shielded his eyes from the blinding glare above but all the met his gaze was sand; an endless sea of it. All that broke up the sandy landscape was the occasional sloping, silt-ridden dune. His shoulders sagged with a new kind of lethargy.

But then, standing there under the scalding sun, it suddenly struck him-- where were the others? Mild panic throbbed in his chest swiftly, prickling his senses with a sharp adrenaline rush. But not a soul could be seen as he searched every angle of his surroundings with wild probing eyes.

The others had vanished.

A disgruntled growl escaped him, and the thought of Yuna crept into his mind. He hoped she was alright, surely the others were with her; they just had to be… Unlike them, he was alone again in desolation; lost again in wretched bleakness. Cursing under his breath, he threw his arms down at his sides roughly. He was starting to make a habit of getting stranded like this. Yet, as his blue eyes wandered over the blistering sand, the strangest feeling came over him that he wasn't going to be rescued this time. This time he had to find the others single-handedly. This time _he_ was going to have to do the rescuing.

But where to start? There sure weren't any sign posts in this godforsaken place. At least he knew how he got there, he surmised with a sigh. But the culprit, however, was nowhere to be seen. Sin was gone.

Tidus turned back to the shimmering oasis. Although his father's thoughts were no longer with him, he felt as though he could still feel his presence there.

"I forgive you, this time. Be good for a while, okay?" He peered down into the still, crystalline waters half-expecting to hear a reply. The last thing he wanted was Sin going on the rampage while he was stuck in this damned desert.

Groaning resolutely with the accompaniment of a perturbed roll from his eyes, Tidus turned back to the blistering sands. Blurred waves of air teased him, rising up off the sediment surface from afar: a direct result of the inconceivable heat. And what heat it was, now beating down on top of him with volcanic ferocity.

He slung his hood back and with a tired growl trundled off over the dunes, bearing the heat from above and below. He was at the least satisfied to leave his encounter with Jecht behind him. His suspicions about the link between his father and Sin were now clarified, but knowing that Sin was truly his father didn't make the fact any easier to deal with. Only new questions arose from the ashes of its fiery remains: why did Jecht become Sin in the first place, and more importantly, how?

Auron would know, he knew everything. But getting him to tell was something else altogether. The answers would have to elude Tidus for now, and it wasn't like he wasn't used to being in the dark already…. He'd have to put up with it for now, well, just a while anyway…

He'd been slogging along for thirty minutes, feeling like thirty hours, before his exhausted body finally dragged him to a halt. The raging heat seemed to intensify with each step he'd taken so far, and his progress seemed non-existent. Sweat trickled in languid streams down his back, and his eyes stung like grain-filled paper cuts. His boots also, had become a weighty burden quicker than he'd expected. He peered down at their sand-encrusted predicament. Inside them was no better, as they were now overflowing with the stuff. Reaching up, he mopped the stray beads of sweat from his brow, it felt like he'd been out here for an eternity, an excruciating eternity.

There was no sign of anyone, no sign of anything: just an abysmal waste of nothingness with him stuck smack bang in the centre. The silence was maddening.

Unable to bear it much longer, he peeled his shirt off lazily and slung it over his shoulder. He stared up at the dizzying sun hatefully, and cursed himself for not bringing any water with him from the oasis way back. It was too late now, and besides he had no means of carrying it. He cursed himself again. The pain growing in his throat worsened suddenly at the thought of water, the asphyxiating sand-paper grasp tightened. Coughing as if he'd swallowed a mass of razor blades, he fell to his knees, grasping at the sizzling grains before him.

Struggling, he watched a couple of small sand lizards scuttle before him nonchalantly through slatted eyes. Unlike them, Tidus was just about ready to tear his hair out. Gritting his teeth, he felt his sanity dwindle with each second he endured under that terrible glowering orb. A pyretic tingle shuddered over his skin, and he suddenly remembered that some birds living in hot climates peed on their feet to cool themselves down, the thought of doing so half entered his head before his conscience reprimanded him. Now he was convinced he was going mad.

Flashbacks of when he first arrived in Spira flickered in his mind, when he was stranded in the submerged ruins. The Al Bhed saved him back then, he wasn't going to be that lucky again. He wished that this was dream, a dream where he awoke to find himself washed up on the shore of a tropical island; the warming rays of the sun toasting his face slowly as the cooling ocean beach swept up to greet him; the salty, marine smell engulfing his all his senses. And then from the near distance a figure ventured towards him with demure, gliding steps; her hair shimmering, disguising her jewelled eyes from afar that twinkled at him: cerulean and emerald.

As he was musing this comforting thought, a stray, cooling breeze passed over his skin, soothing his blistering skin. For a second he thought the dream was real, but the miscomprehension lasted barely a second as the foul stench it carried hit his nostrils. A large, dark shape leered over him suddenly, and the blitzer felt his instincts kick in hard ringing crazed alarm bells in his ears. Fighting every aching bone in his body, Tidus strained back to his feet, trying not to swoon amidst the gut-wrenching stink.

Facing him was a giant, vulture-like bird with yellow roving eyes like spinning, glass marbles. It squawked at him loudly and beat its black, tattered wings, bringing forth the stale, abhorrent stench once more from the depths of its rancid hide. Too exhausted to barely stand, Tidus choked for oxygen and the bird swept up in answer, thrusting its mighty-taloned feet his bare midriff. He managed leap back just in time, but his attempt to dodge the attack foundered and he toppled onto his back clumsily.

The reeking vulture's eyes lit up greedily, oblivious to the fact that Tidus was not going to be an easy meal…

As the voracious scavenger pounced it jolted back and screamed suddenly, an ear-shattering scream. Its hide began to hiss angrily, spewing out random jets of steam and flame that danced over its dark plumage. Hissing and spitting, the frenetic flames consumed its feathered body chaotically, exposing the bare stench-ridden quills beneath. Roaring like an enraged demon, the bird took flight wailing hysterically as it flailed out of view, leaving its perplexed prey behind to wonder whether it had really spontaneously combusted before his eyes.

Tidus sat up suddenly, thinking that maybe it was a crazy trick his dizzy mind was playing on him. But his bewilderment was soon conquered as his eyes clapped onto a familiar figure standing in the creature's wake.

"Are you all right?" Lulu scrambled toward him as her long dress dragged arduously across the sand. She looked down on him, her usual cold gaze warmed with concern.

Relieved beyond words, Tidus nodded lethargically, and took her offered hand as she heaved him back to his feet.

"The others?" He spluttered, noting their absence immediately.

Her head dropped tiredly and she shook it. "Haven't found them yet." She sighed abysmally as she stooped down to retrieve her moogle doll from the ground and dusted off its sand-encased form with her long-nailed hand.

"What about Yuna?" He persisted, growing intense under the scorching blare, and ignoring the lingering pain in his throat.

A mere look was all it took for his rejoinder to be made clear: Yuna was gone.

"Damn it!" Tidus cried, applying his boot to the sea of loose sediment with an angered grunt.

Lulu joined in his antipathy with a despondent sigh. "Gone… Some guardian I am."

Tidus looked up in alarm, he'd never seen Lulu act this way before, and quite frankly it was a little unnerving. She was always so stern and unyielding, but now…. He fidgeted nervously, thinking of a means to bolster her spirits…little did he know that those means would come in the form of Auron.

The tall warrior suddenly appeared like a mirage of hope on horizon, enveloped by the blurred waves of rising air; his sword swung casually over his shoulder as if it were fresh from use. Tidus acknowledged him with a nod, but as aloof as he always was, Auron simply stared in answer.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Tidus persevered, running a hand through his sand-ridden hair.

"We're supposed to stay in one place if we get split up." Lulu confirmed shakily, mimicking his actions and teasing the grains from her long dark braids.

Upon hearing her words from afar, Auron, turned heel and marched on in the direction from which he came, disappearing behind a large sand dune.

Tidus marvelled at his steadfastness, "Wait here if you want. He's not!"

Faced with no other choice and rue to get split up again, he and Lulu followed Auron's lead, trundling down over the muscle-torturing sands.

Now that he was accompanied by two others, the heat seemed less of a burden to Tidus and a new strength surfaced in him, giving him a boost of forgotten energy. Either that or the fact the Auron had barely even broke into a sweat spurred him on to keep going. That and finding Yuna (and a small water spell courtesy of Lulu.) He was sure Yuna would be all right with her aeons to keep her company, but still through the eyes of a guardian, he couldn't stop agonizing or thinking about her.

A vast twisting pathway swept out before them as they trenched on, littered with what seemed to be the strange remains of old, disused machina; now rusted and warped beyond repair. They jutted out of the sand in all shapes and forms, some with thick scrawled writing on them eroded by the sandy wind. But why here in all of places? Tidus could faintly recall the strange devices he encountered on board the salvage ship in Luca, and recognised a good few of the ones scattered about as the very same models equipped with bent, scimitar-like blades. Just as he was contemplating this, a familiar lump came into view, hunched over its knees under the shelter of a metal panel sticking out of the side of a dune. It was looking not akin at all amongst the disarray.

"Wakka!" Tidus bellowed at the top of his voice. He couldn't tell whether he screamed out of pure relief or something else. But either way, the redhead caught wind of his cry and hoisted himself up slowly. Obviously the heat was getting to him, too.

"You alone?" Tidus quizzed, stumbling toward him as fast as he could manage.

"Where's Yuna?" Wakka cut in hastily, ignoring the question completely and probing the motley bunch with racing eyes.

"We haven't found her yet." Tidus returned morosely.

In reply Wakka let forth a admonishing wail, burying his sandal-clad foot into one of the iron struts under the sheet metal. "Dammit! First I lose Yuna, than I'm ambushed by machina!" He growled, now nursing his aching foot regretfully. "Great day I'm having."

Tidus sighed tiredly, wondering whether Wakka's allegations were true or whether his inherent racism was rearing its ugly head again…

It took Auron to dispel the bitter animosity brewing in the air. "We should keep moving." He marched off again somewhat indignantly, leaving the others to tag along behind him like lost puppies. Anxiety was now rive amongst them all, they veered after him shielding their eyes from the savage wind that blasted round each twisting corner, dotting their skin with course grains. But, it didn't take long for their resolve to be rekindled… A sudden, deafening blast ripped forth, followed by a stray plume of black smoke rising weakly some way up ahead. Fearing the worst, the group quickened their pace only to hear a shrill voice cry out boldly as they careered round the last corner.

"That'll teach ya to mess with Kimahri and me!!"

Rikku.

Alleviated, the guardians laid eyes on the destruction ahead. Before them, a steaming bonfire of ebony hue belched out a tirade of dusty feathers filling their noses with their vile stench. From the sizzling remains, Tidus could already tell that his vulture assailant had not learned its lesson; well, it was paying for it now.

"Oh!" Rikku, observing her companions, waved wildly with her claw-adorned arm. "Hey, guys! Where's Yunie?" she hailed bounding over to them brightly, obviously pleased to see them. Her little face was blackened with soot save the creases either side of her sparkling eyes where she'd squinted from the explosion. She'd been playing with her grenades again.

Before the others could supply her with an answer, Kimahri joined them with slow arduous steps; his large, padded feet weren't best suited for the loose sand. He shook the dark sizzled feathers from his white hair and analysed the party with an incisive sadness. "Yuna gone…"

They needn't answer him, the looks on their faces was enough.

But the ronso folded his arms, his vexation now evident more so than he'd ever shown.

"It's not your fault, Kimahri!" Tidus assured, patting the proud guardian on the arm.

The ronso took a deep intake of breath through his long fangs and looked on into the distance mournfully.

Tidus turned his attention to Rikku, half-expecting her to break down at the disappearance of Yuna, they were cousins after all. Yet to his surprise, she'd bundled herself up pensively, tapping her cheek with lingering contemplation. With a contorted frown, she swivelled away as if she were at loggerheads with herself. After a moment she turned back to them, her features loosening in what seemed to be defeat. She took a deep inhalation of breath as if she were about to speak, but nothing came out for a long while, until...

"Umm…There's something I wanna tell you, but promise not to say anything."

With their downcast silence interrupted, the party turned to her and she squirmed under their wandering eyes. All wandering apart from Wakka's, who was adamant on keeping his charcoal eyes sharpened like daggers.

"No glaring either!" Rikku objected with a pout.

The islander, feeling the wrath behind Tidus and Lulu's eyes spread over him, loosened his tight lemon face and relaxed, much to his own displeasure.

"I know where we are." Rikku continued readily, "We're on Bikanel Island. There's a place us Al Bhed call Home near here. Yunie's there, I'm sure of it! Other Al Bhed must've come and rescued her!"

In a flash Wakka was possessed once again by severe malignity. "Rescued?" He scoffed with a blackened face like thunder. "You mean kidnapped!"

"What does it matter, as long as she's safe?" Tidus interjected, animated with growing frustration.

"That's right!" Rikku chipped in, placing her hands on her hips with a pout. "Anyway," she started again, becoming grave. "I will take you there if you promise…that you won't tell anyone about it. Especially not Yevonites, okay? You know they don't like us Al Bhed. Who knows what they'd do if they knew?"

Her imploring voice was drowned out by the choleric tones of Wakka. "Gimme a break. What are you accusing Yevon of _this_ time?" His blistering eyes pounced down on her wildly from above like two ticking firebombs.

She shrivelled slightly but found her courage shortly thereafter. "Yevon did something really bad to us before…" Her eyes clouded over in pale recollection, her weak voice was not intended to rile the islander, but it did none the less, coaxing an unbelieving grunt from his lips.

"Well you Al Bhed must've deserved it!" He spat.

Their squabbled was interrupted by Tidus, who let fly a loud growl of annoyance. "Can't you guys… talk about this later?" He exclaimed clutching his head tiredly. Lingering under scolding sun with no sign of Yuna was enough to bear with the islander opening up old wounds with Rikku.

"Just promise you won't tell anyone about this island." Rikku persisted Wakka with wide beseeching eyes. "Promise?"

Wakka rubbed the back of his head silently.

"Wakka, come on!" Tidus cried, almost yelling in boiling vexation.

Backed into a corner, the redhead gave in with a bitter groan, "All right, all right! I promise!" He folded his arms in defeat. "Lead the way."

"You got it." Rikku shot him a kind smile.

With a spring in her step, she darted off over the sands weaving this way and that amongst the fallen machina, as if she'd trodden the path a thousand times. No wonder the Al Bhed were so tanned living out here on the scorching sands. Shunned by the rest of Spira, this was the only place they could hide away from their hate. But what a place to live, such a hostile environment, all to achieve a peaceful life Tidus thought mopping his brow for the billionth time. The Al Bhed must have thick hides, unlike him, who could feel his skin crisping up an angry red. For not the first time, he felt a deep respect swell within him for the struggling Al Bhed. Sure they acted weird sometimes, like when they attempted to kidnap Yuna. But Tidus had seen a caring side to their sometimes seemingly brutal nature he thought, recalling the boot in the ribs he received on more than one occasion on the salvage ship that day. But seeing as they'd gone out of their way to rescue him when they could've just left him to rot he was willing to forget the pain.

Trailing after Rikku, who was well learned on the unstable terrain proved rather difficult than the party expected. She was almost sprinting at times, but noticing her companions lag behind she slowed up at intervals, making them feel supremely inadequate. She was also there every time they strayed from her path to warn them of sand traps laid by fiends and the inevitable quick sand; all of which were invisible to the naked eye, well, all eyes apart from hers.

"How much longer?" Tidus whined eventually as she strode before him at a growing leisurely place, seeming to enjoy the walk. "Isn't there a quicker way?" his impatience was getting the better of him as was his eagerness to find Yuna safely.

"No complaining!" Rikku chided playfully with a skip. "We're almost there!" A spark seemed to ignite in her suddenly, and she bounded on like an excited bloodhound. She screeched to a halt atop a gigantic dune, which her followers were just contemplating tiredly.

But before they even had the chance to act, a scream of terror infiltrated the air, chilling their blood with icy dread. Jogging up some way, Tidus observed Rikku's small silhouette judder violently before his shielded eyes.

"Oh, no!!" In a desperate plight, she skidded down the other side, dragging a fractious cloud of dust and sand behind her.

Alarmed, Tidus chased her head on. He heard the others in pursuit behind, panting recklessly. The thick smell of burning consumed him as he advanced, coating his lungs with dense, unstinting virulence. He felt his heart flutter within him as his eyes swept down into the steep canyon below.

A vast metallic structure lay nestled in the very middle, its surface etched in the bold print of the Al Bhed. Reaching up to heavens like an upturned spider, its tarnished surface shuddered and pulsed violently, belching forth thick plumes of acrid, black smoke. Dark flitting shapes darted in between the noxious clouds, screaming maniacally as the rampant echoing of gun fire chased their wings. Tidus felt a neuralgic tingle ripple up his spine as the stark realisation sank in: the Guado were here.

The heavy breathing of Wakka sounded in his ear, as did the raw voice of Lulu.

"Wha-?" Wakka spluttered, clutching his heaving chest with widening eyes. "Yuna's down there?" The anxiety crept into his tone.

Lulu perceived the madness, her crimson eyes alight with adrenaline. "Of all the places… Let's go!"

Tidus didn't hear the continuation of their speech, his legs were already sprinting beneath him as he tumbled down the dune towards the chaos in Rikku's wake. He felt the others follow as the oncoming tremors engulfed him, throwing blistering sand up into his face. He squinted, careering head-first onto the steel-enshrouded platform under the shadow of Home, the heinous stench of charred flesh and fiend hide causing him to choke momentarily. As the acrid smoke cleared from his stinging eyes, the image of Rikku materialised before him in the distance.

He approached, the mad clattering of his feet drowned in the ear-shredding turmoil of gunfire and the unholy screams within. Like ants, Al Bhed men, boiler-suit clad and adorned with all manner of weapons scurried all around him, their shoulders locking with his, almost driving him down to the ground. Their assailants, fierce quadruped fiends, wild and salivating, leapt through the crowds, darting between targets with blood-thirsty alacrity. Home was overrun.

Serrated teeth gouged into bone, jaws snapped tight over skin. Shreds of human flesh splattered the outer walls, dotting onlookers with glutinous, crimson rain. Hails of bullets tore through fiend hide in reply, spraying boiling, black blood into the air. High-pitched screams wailed out overhead, air-bourn fiends tore through the air, blocking out the light as they crashed into the topmost spires of home, smashing a multitude of glass and steel. Their jagged talons slashed down over the paintwork, carving an evil tapestry of destruction.

The unmistakable hiss of an air lock exhaled suddenly. Bodies shot past in a blur, entwining in colour and sound. The entrance was opening; pulling back like skin revealing bone. The Al Bhed were fleeing for the doors, popping fiends on their way over the now sanguine platform.

"Where's Yuna?" Wakka bellowed over the furore. But the islander's words fell on deaf ears as the remaining Al Bhed disappeared within, leaving the summoner party amidst the wreckage. Somehow it felt quieter then, like the impending silence before battle. Even the fiends seemed to be in waiting, their forms overhead still clouding the sky; ever watchful.

This massacre was far from over.

"_Keyakku_!" Her voice pierced through the air toward him. She was nearer than he'd expected.

Tidus rushed over to where Rikku was crouching; blood smeared over her face and painted down through her hair. He stooped over her, taking in the entirety of what had her attention so forcibly locked. An Al Bhed man, his lean body broken beyond repair; the bone in his left leg protruding through his crimson-soaked boiler suit.

"Who?" she cried desperately as the man struggled in vain to speak; sporadic bubbles of blood oozing from the corners of his mouth. "Who's attacking us? Who-? Fru tet drec du oui?"

"_Yevon… Guado…"_

Tidus managed to pick up stray words uttered from the man's lips. Yet, even as he did so, the Al Bhed's body jerked stiffly into its death throes before Rikku's welling eyes.

"Keyakku? _Keyakku_!" " She cried, grasping his blood-clogged shirt frantically, but it was too late.

"A war? Between Yevon and the Al Bhed?" Lulu, whose voice was now flowing with veins of horror, made her presence known. The others were circled behind her, looking bruised and slightly tattered; especially Wakka, whose brow had been bleeding profusely. The Al Bhed hadn't been the only victims.

"Dryd ec fnuhk!"

Lulu was corrected tersely.

The summoner party swung around. A stranger was standing in their midst.

Standing on thick, stout legs, the man eyeballed each one them hard; the intensity of his dark olive eyes blazed wildly. The fiery glare of sun glanced off his hairless head, highlighting the cerulean tattoo on his temple. Oil-stained sweat dribbled down the sides temples leaving long coppery streaks; a vast aura of importance radiated from him, a natural strength of character that ordered their attention. Regarding their inquiring eyes, he inhaled with a thick snort and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. They were working men's hands, broad and well-used; the protruding knuckles were worn but still seemed to house a curious dexterity.

Behind them Home gurgled and belched forth another adverse plume of black smoke. The man chewed his tongue knowingly. "_Guado_ ku vun dre _summoners_." He barked, passing his hardened glare to Rikku.

Her lids drooped down with despair, "Vydran…"

The man followed her gaze suddenly and halted upon the fallen Al Bhed before her. His features relaxed. Motioning Rikku aside, he stooped and took hold of the young man's head in his rough hands and to everyone's surprise placed a kiss on the forehead, before carefully sweeping the lifeless eyes closed.

He heaved himself to his feet with a raw, grainy cough. "You Rikku's friends?" He asked, surprisingly fluently. His voice sounded deep and gravelled as the words trailed from the side of his mouth abruptly. "Well don't just stand there!" He howled goggling them with crazed eyes, resting them finally on Rikku. "Come on!" He drew a modified Al Bhed rifle out of its holster on his back. "Let's kick those Guado out of our Home!"

With a dynamic burst of voracity, he thundered off blasting his gun like a canon. Auron, Lulu, Kimahri and Wakka ran on after him without a single word in dissent; not even from Wakka. But Rikku remained there in a clouded daze, as if lost in despondency.

"Who?" Tidus remarked, watching the hefty Al Bhed bolt through a mechanical door ahead, roaring at the top of his voice.

"Cid." She replied, without exchanging so much as a glance. "The leader of the Al Bhed… He's my dad…"

Tidus thought as much; the shadowy figure that bound Rikku and Yuna together was finally revealed to him. The blitzer watched as Rikku stared fixedly into the distance, the thin wispy trails of her flaxen hair brushing her elfin face drowsily. This was almost more than she could take he sensed-- and there was yet more to come. "Let's go." He said, clasping her shoulder reassuringly.

"Yeah. We have to save Yunie." Her eyes met him them, consumed with pain.

He fought to raise her spirits. "Not only Yuna, _right_?"

Her eyes glittered suddenly, unyielding defiance bloomed. "_Right_!"

Together they charged on to meet the mayhem housed under those towering steel doors.

As they trampled head first under the threshold, a discordant blasting fusion of sound consumed them. Muffled cries and hellish wails confused and mulched together in tumultuous wrath. An alarm blared as a baseline in frantic Al Bhed, flooding the surroundings with acute panic.

Tidus fought the searing black smoke that clogged their view, swiping his arms to and fro madly. The blurred profile of his companions materialized suddenly some way ahead. He proceeded tentatively, feeling the rapid brush of Rikku navigate past him, knowing her destination by heart. Tidus followed in vain, and blindly strode too far of the mark into Kimahri's fur-covered back. Groaning an apology, he rubbed his pain-stricken eyes and grasped onto a better glimpse of the place.

He figured vaguely, from what he could make out, that the room in which they were standing was a vast central complex of sorts with various doors and walkways leading off into labyrinthine darkness. Many of these pathways were tainted with bullet holes and mighty gouges, some were blocked completely with rubble. In the near distance, crimson way lights wept out of the blackness, highlighting two precipitous stairwells that delved under their feet to the lower levels. Rolling flames licked their metal banisters colouring them an angry scarlet. Viscous brown fluid spluttered from thick, tarnished pipes attached to the walls above them. The danger was so imminent he could feel it hanging thick in the air. Tidus' heart began to hammer brutally in his chest; Yuna was in here somewhere…

A terrible shudder reverberated then so suddenly that he was almost sent careering into the unknown. The domed ceiling rained razor-sharp debris, battering the ground fervently. Shafts of narrow light were revealed in the act, flickering and blinking above as they were cut off by the impatient wings of fiends above.

"Yuna! Where are you?" He heard Wakka boom as he caught his balance clumsily.

Before his answer was finalised, a familiar voice roared via a loud speaker in rich, rolling Al Bhed.

"Drec pedac! _Rikku! _Oui nayt sa?"

She sprang to attention.

"Oui ku ihtan, duu! E's majammehk _Home_! Yht dra _fiend _fedr ed!" Cid's voice had a rigorous finalisation to its tone.

A spark ignited in Rikku then, masking her horror with fierce frenzy. "_No!_" Without supplying her companions with an answer, she bolted off like lightning through the threatening haze.

But her progress was hindered prematurely by the vice grip of Wakka. "Hey!" He interrogated thoroughly, almost swinging her off balance. "What'd he say?"

"We have to get underground!" she cried, squirming wildly for her release which was only granted on the permission of Auron.

"Enough of this!" He cut in severely. "Where is Yuna?"

Rikku stared wide-eyed and breathless. "The Summoner's Sanctum. This way!" She took flight once more, rocketing down the furthest stairwell into thunderous flame.

Rapidly they made chase with Tidus fighting his way to the front; his mind drenched with restive speculation. Yuna-- where the hell were they keeping her?

The mad clattering of their feet echoed through his body as the stairs buckled and creaked, struggling to bear the weight. Skipping over gaps bereft of steps, he struggled to hear her charged voice over the confusion.

"Over here!" The faint glimmer of her goggles flickered up to meet him; the only pointer to her location. She was at least two floors beneath them now, and delving deeper.

The frantic chink of her boots suddenly ceased. The unremitting smog thinned, and at that moment through fear-emblazoned eyes, he saw a vast, dark shape plunge over her. With a blood-curdling scream, she was flung onto her back savagely; her companions flurrying to her aid..

Adorned with hook-tipped horns, a shaggy-haired fiend, muscled like a bear, had her pinned to the ground via the shoulders. She writhed desperately as it rammed its salivating jaws nearer to her face, buckling the pipe she'd managed to wedge in its mouth. Wrestling with all her might, she shoved back, fighting the rancid, wet breath that was condensing on her skin.

A Ronso spear chimed in the air. Eyes met; feline yellow locked with satanic blood red. A guttural snarl chugged from the rabid fiend's throat. Kimahri stood his ground silently, and Tidus from where he was standing could vaguely make out the Ronso's upper lip curl back defiantly, revealing a rack of formidable fangs. The blitzer already knew the protocol; this was Ronso business.

In a single bound, the fiend sprang into flight, wild with ire; feral eyes amplified with ferocious vehemence. Not a single shimmer of fear flickered in Kimahri's eyes in that nanosecond as he launched the entire tip of his spear into the soft palate behind those snapping jaws, piercing the soft tissue of the brain. A sickening squelch emitted, and the beast's nervous system kept it wriggling like an eel in mid-air.

Kimahri growled deeply through his nose, and propping his clawed foot on the burning handrail, hurled the corpse up and over it effortlessly.

The others looked on, gasping for breath as the satiated spear found its way back to its sheath. Reaching down, he placed the Al Bhed back on her feet. She stared momentarily dazed, managing to murmur a small, "thank you."

But her attention snapped suddenly on a huge, mottled door before them, which had all but escaped their view until now. Regaining her silence, she began punching numbers into the electronic dial on the left side its tarnished frame. The door hissed angrily in rejoinder and, shuddering violently, parted, flooding their eyes with simulated light.

They stepped in after her.

BOOM.

The door snapped shut with a hideous bang, thankfully sealing out the greatest part of the clamour; although the malevolent tone still buzzed in their ears spasmodically.

The room within was vast and circular in shape, housing many machina-powered lamps that hung suspended in a haphazard fashion from the ceiling, like the fallen jewels in a diadem. Sand cascaded in glittering trails from the fractured walls, all of which were daubed vividly with indecipherable symbols of the Al Bhed. Below, another door awaited. A bright symbol etched in red spanned its surface, a symbol Tidus strangely recognised; an ankh.

Another blast rang out from above . The very earth shook as Rikku halted before her companions, seemingly rooted to the spot. Hesitation loomed.

"This place done for." Wakka said quietly, breaking their watchful silence and folding his arms over his sand-blasted chest.

Rikku's body jolted as if her mind had finally caught up to her body. "You're right…" She started breathlessly. "You're right, Wakka." Her eyes met him; muted jade. "We Al Bhed, we, we weren't always like this… Sin destroyed the island where we all used to live. And we were scattered then, to every corner of Spira…But my dad brought the Al Bhed back together again. If we all put our minds to it and worked hard we could build a new Home. Everyone worked hard. We had our Home back again. But now…" she trailed off; the rich recollection was lost to sorrow.

"Rikku…" Wakka reached for her as her head dipped low and grasped her small shoulder with sudden, soft munificence.

She took a shaky intake of breath.

"Damn those Guado!" Wakka thundered suddenly, releasing her to clench his fist, "Just what are they thinking?"

His question seemed rhetorical as the adrenaline calmed in their veins, leaving them open to wonder. And wonder was what Tidus did; standing there at the back of the group, now having time to think properly for the first time since they'd arrived. He stubbed his foot on the solid, steel floor pensively; the embossed surface grating against the tip of his boot. A slow sinking feeling had been boiling in his stomach ever since he'd heard Rikku utter those strange words, overriding his hatred of the Guado. Words that trickled through him with a dreadful, throbbing resonance. His suspicions were roused… something was going on, and he knew it. But yet again he found himself loathe to speak. Here was Rikku, completely crestfallen at the destruction of her beloved Home. What gave him the right to question her now? But in the back of his mind, he yearned to know. He was torn in two.

She started off, mounting the top of the stairs, but her progress, yet again, was cut short.

"Rikku, what is the Summoner's Sanctum?"

There was a strong significance in those words as Lulu's question fell coldly in the room. Tidus stared in alarm. A gripping silence seized them. All eyes were drawn to Rikku's now frozen silhouette. He saw something changed in her then, something deep surfaced: something profound. He could feel the deep throbbing of Home join in unison with his own heart as he lingered there at the back of the group, that feeling that he didn't belong reared up to meet him once more.

"The Summoners' sanctum is where we keep the summoners. We keep them safe there." She breathed, her voice as soft and vulnerable as a chaste flower in the face of winter frost.

Her solemnity drew forth deep pangs within Tidus that he couldn't describe. At first he felt as though he should gasp, but the others--their faces were steely; unmoved. He drew breath to speak but the words didn't transpire.

To his amazement, Wakka was the first to make his voice heard. "You kidnapped them."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"I know it's against the teachings and all that…" Rikku admitted, flushing with the heaviest amount of shame.

"I get why you did it…" Wakka trailed off in a resolute tone, placing his hands on his hips with a liberating sigh. He'd already drawn his conclusions… so had the others by the looks of things. Tidus felt a deep, disbelieving frown plaster his face, what the hell were they thinking now? His eyes flashed to the islander sharply and he felt the lids draw tight with uncertainty. Here they were working their asses off trying to protect Yuna, when all along it sounded like they were already aware of what the Al Bhed were up to: kidnapping summoners and keeping them captive!

Hoping he'd misconstrued the entire situation, he rediscovered his voice and barged in. "Well, _I_ sure don't get it, Wakka!" He asserted heavily, twisting his eyebrows into knots. "They might get hurt on their pilgrimage, so you _kidnap_ them?" He said, laying his unremitting gaze on Rikku momentarily. He felt the others stare at him fixedly from behind as if a reprimand was about to burst forth. "I mean, if the summoners don't do their job, then who will beat Sin?" He continued. "You wanna protect them, I know. But guardians are there for that. If guardians do their job well, summoners will be safe!" He tried his best to explain himself rationally, but the reaction he gauged from his companions wasn't the one he'd anticipated.

Not a single eye was set upon him. All were drawn away into the far distance, as if their minds were set apart from the reality of now. Set apart from the world and lost in deep binding thoughts; bitter, hurtful thoughts that showed through and reflected in the now shimmering whites of their eyes. Tidus felt the foreboding eminence of another profound moment coming.

"Right?" He cried, desperately seeking some sort of reaction, some sort of support. An ear-splitting explosion rang out above, making the lights bob precariously on their hangers. "RIGHT?" He screamed over the tumult.

The room settled. Eyes averted him further, painfully now; wrenched with agony. Tidus was thunderstruck. He felt his jaw creak ajar.

"It's quiet. Kimahri goes now." The ronso strode past his statuette form without a single glance. He marched down to the door beyond, coaxing the others to follow, regarding Tidus as a ghost. For a second the blitzer was afraid he'd disappeared spontaneously, but this was real. So real he felt his knees quake.

Rikku was still there at the top of the stairs.

Slowly her bejewelled eyes reached up to meet his. He saw his reflection flash at him in their watery depths and a small piece of him crumbled away inside. Never before had she viewed him like this, terrible fear etched in emerald, deepest, heartfelt sorrow.

In a flash she was gone, her voice overflowing with despair echoed out in the room below.

"Yuna, please be here!"

Tidus tumbled down after her. A crackling reached his ears mixed with the heinous stench of smouldering flesh.

The nightmare had only just begun.

Giant mechanical cogs lolled slowly over track either side of him, splattered with human blood. His veins turned to ice. Shaky eyes observed the ground, littered with the fallen. Mist rose, corpses at every turn streaked in virulent sanguine. The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened.

"Yuna!" The deep tones of Kimahri roared through.

The dull thud of Rikku falling to her knees reverberated in the back if his mind; torrential streams coursing down ashen skin.

Another voice sounded, familiar. "She's not here." Tidus observed, and understood. "Hello again." Dona ventured towards them from the back of the room, her hair tousled heavily. The usual brashness in her demeanour had evaporated, revealing soft dulcet tones unheard before. "Wait there until we have performed the sending."

"They died… protecting us…" She wasn't alone. Isaaru joined her from the far corner. His robes were badly beaten and a deep cut lined the length of his left cheek. Unlike Dona, his guardians were with him. "The least we can do is give them a proper sending." He finished, surveying the multitude of bodies with entrenched sadness.

Together they gathered the nearest bodies to them. Tidus' body shuddered erratically. If Yuna wasn't here… where was she? His breathing quickened, the first ripple of panic set in. A sharp tug on his braces alerted him suddenly.

He looked down, meeting the twinkling, dark eyes of Pacce; Isaaru's youngest brother. The little boy seemed to have taken a liking to him.

"Hey…erm… what's sacrificed?" He asked, contorting his round face in confusion. "The Al Bhed said summoners were being sacrificed, that summoners shouldn't have to do a pilgrimage."

Tidus felt his features darken, why did the statement sound so familiar? Unforeseen infuriation simmered. "Why couldn't they trust guardians to protect the summoners?" He could slowly feel himself taking back everything he'd ever thought about the Al Bhed. His respect wavered on a knife edge. The welling disapproval was too much to bear. "The Al Bhed had no right stopping their pilgrimage!" He condemned bitterly.

"The pilgrimages have to stop!"

The voice, sharp and strong, cut through the dense air like a torpedo, with relentless force.

Rikku; soldered with fierce determination, held her ground before him like a frail sapling caught in the onset of a storm. Her stance was absolute.

"If they get to Zanarkand, they might defeat Sin… " She started, losing her way and stammering. "Yunie could… but then she…" She faltered, soft features torn. Tidus recognised the sorrow that was straining to emerge, a sorrow he's seen so many times in her although she'd tried to hide it: her clandestine woe. The torture won through, and the spectacle of her became painful to behold. She was cracking with the pressure, crumbling before his very eyes. A great power swelled in her, bursting for release.

"Yunie will die, you know!"

He gaped dumbstruck. The penny dropped as if a gunshot went off by his head; paralysing the brain.

"You know, don't you?" Rikku cried, evident tears now welling her eyes as she ventured towards him. "Summoners journey to get the Final Aeon; Yuna told you didn't she? With the Final Aeon, she can beat Sin. But if she.. If she calls it then the Final Aeon's gonna kill her! Even if she defeats Sin, it'll kill Yunie, too, you know!" Completely spent, she collapsed to her knees; gasping amidst a sea of tears.

"Was I the only one who didn't know?" The convoluted truth was disentangled before him; its intricate web, frayed with the endurance of time, snagged on the razor sharp scythe of reality and was ripped down from before his eyes. The overriding force dragged him down to his knees so severely he felt as though the whole world was swallowing him. The enmeshment was there, laid bare before him like an open corpse on a mortuary table; the ungodly truth spilled out in the form of blackened, cold viscera. As he fell all about him became a blur, melting into one tumultuous mass of colour and sound. The seconds trickled by like minutes, and the feeling of existing passed by with them. Unintelligible thoughts tore through the confines of his skull, transcending madness. Their contents or meaning beyond comprehension; void of rationality.

His liquefied surroundings condensed suddenly, solidified, and took shape. The darkness regurgitated him to anger, revealed him to fear, left him open to despair. Springing to life, he clasped hold of the nearest body that heaved before him desperately. His mind and voice connected and shrill tones, withered and weak, tumbled out of him incoherently. Rikku's limp frame struggled under the full force of his onslaught as her shoulders were jostled violently back and forth, stray tears falling from her like crystalline beads of fractured light.

"Tell me why! Why didn't you tell me?" Tidus' dwindling murmurs strengthened with ferocious speed, but weakened shortly thereafter, diminishing back down into the realms of despair. "Why didn't I _know_?" He felt his face soften once again in preparation for the deluge that he was holding back with all the strength he could muster. But still within he felt his crimson-stained eyes flicker over to Wakka, who shifted uneasily under their discordant, dark glare.

"We weren't hiding it…" he admitted, his voice, too, growing hoarse and faint through the strain.

"It was just too hard to say…" Lulu interjected, shaking her head weakly, the words slipping from her violet lips as if their very utterance were toxic.

For Tidus they were.

His rage, intertwined with confusion and distress swelled within him suddenly then, surpassing any feeling he'd ever experienced. There was only way to remedy the asphyxiating torment that boiled fervently inside. That was to unleash it.

He let forth a scream of inhumane proportions, driving his fist down into the chrome surface brutally, potholing the ground with his steel-clad knuckles.

"Lulu! How could you? How _could_ you?" He choked, the mordant venom saturating his tone forcing him to shriek. "Isn't she like a sister to you? I thought you were family!"

The mage looked to him in silence; a porcelain-faced silhouette in the shattered remnants of their surroundings.

"Why don't you _do_ something, Wakka?" Tidus spat wildly, diverting his attention to the dismayed islander in her midst.

"Don't you think we tried to stop her?" Lulu cried, suddenly finding her voice, her brows knitted deeply. "She follows… her heart." Her lips trembled faintly as the words struggled to depart from them; the hurt now plain to see.

"Yuna, she knew what she was doing when she chose to become a summoner…" Wakka added, "to face Sin, ya? Yuna knew!"

"But Wakka, that's just totally wrong!" A soft voice echoed in the darkness. Rikku's sylphlike form struggled to its feet once more. "Summoners shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves just so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?"

"But that is our choice." Isaaru interjected, defeating her imploring eyes.

"We all live in fear of Sin, you know that." Dona added gravely.

"A world without Sin- that is the dream of all Yevon's children…" Their aeons materialised suddenly in a puff of shimmering air. "And we will use that power even if it means out lives!" The was a ferocious air of pride in those words that sent Tidus reeling over the edge. He felt his hands stiffen and clench into fists. The whole world became a blur again, with the goading roars of Valefor and Ifrit in his ears.

_To be continued…_

_Many thanks to my favourite non-metal band: Goldfrapp for inspiring me with the beautiful, transcendent songs: Black Cherry and Some People.  
Cya soon._

_vs._

_Ps; apologies for the incredible length of this chapterL it was gonna be longer but I persuaded myself to finish it off sooner than intended. Don't want you all falling asleep now, do I?_


	21. Nayto du ku!

_Thanks to all that read and reviewed the last chapter. Really appreciate it guys.  
NB: Griselda Banks: Hehe, didn't think anyone would notice that little statement I put in about Tidus agonizing over Yuna. I guess he's still in denial at that point.J  
….But no longer I' m afraid folks. The dreaded Spring chapter is looming over my head like guillotine. I'm gonna TRY not to force it though. _

Chapter 21: Nayto du ku! 

Searing tears spilled, scorching his face as they descended in violent trails from his trembling eyes. Hopelessness beckoned, pummelling him with insurmountable pain. The stiff spasms traversing his finger tips conquered, driving them painfully into his scalp he clamped his hands over his ears. Anything to drive out the venom that now festered and churned within; the agonizing consequence of his companion's words.

The turbulent beating of his heart replaced all sound, flooding into his ears hotly. A terrible clock, ticking with spite, as the ebb and flow of life evaded him. All that remained was this encompassing pressure, and the unmitigated rage that followed.

The distant roars broke through over the pounding metronome in his head--the sound of battle pervading. Cold, shrill tingles swarmed the surface of his skin sending frenetic prickles up the spine to the head, bringing him back to life. Quivering uncontrollably, he collapsed, crunching down into a crippled ball. Sweat trickled from the deepest pores.

The tension was wound like a rusted spring, grating on his insides. The triumphant cries of the aeons thundered in his head as they banished the unsent, tormenting him to near madness.

He couldn't bear the tirade much longer: this unendurable pestilence. Like a cat, he sprawled forwards, eyes refocusing and locking on a tall shape in the distance; winged and veiled in a shield of glistening light: the source of his pain.

The spring snapped.

Like an automaton, his feet sprang to life from under him, and before he was aware of what he was doing, he was already laying heavy punches into the aeon's feathered chest.

"And I've been telling Yuna- " He blazed, "Let's go to Zanarkand together! Let's beat Sin! I told her all the things. We could- We could-. But all along the whole time I didn't know anything!" Despair loomed over as the magnitude of what he was actually doing struck him. The fluid-etched motions of his limbs solidified, his crumpled fists uncurled, and stared blankly at his palms, as if the answer lay deep in the lines of the leather that clothed them. He stumbled down onto his knees, the rough, blood-stained surface gouging them open. "But Yuna… she..." He trembled, azure eyes brimming with tears as words almost too difficult to say escaped him. " …she'd just… smile."

Clawing the ground once more, he felt a pleasant breeze escalate from Valefor's wings as the majestic aeon beat them forth. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wished this was all part of some sick toxin dream; that he was back in the desert before this all happened, and that that vulture had just knocked him out cold. But it was not so. This was real.

A warm, soothing rush enshrouded him as those same ethereal wings enclosed his weakening form tenderly in their soft depths; blocking out the world. Valefor cooed benevolently and a sweet, eloquent voice resonated through the darkness pervading his flooded mind.

"_Hey, watch!"_

Watering blue eyes stretched open wide.

Yuna.

From somewhere deep within, he was transported back to Luca, to a memory that played dear in his heart; back when the pilgrimage was young and the days were as careless as his curiosity.

Carefree times.

He recalled her now, transcending loveliness as the tranquil ocean breeze whipped the hair from her porcelain face, revealing dazzling blue and green as she tip-toed struggling to reach the rail before her. He remembered his reaction as she applied her thin, white fingers to her mouth and whistled gently over the harbour. He was mightily impressed at the time, but other things were playing on his mind.

This was the day that Auron told him Sin was Jecht.

"_Hey, you got pretty good."_ he'd mumbled, masking the sorrow in his voice abysmally.

"_You sound sad." _She said, venturing closer as she detected it.

"_Yeah, maybe." _He'd drifted off from her compassionate concern for him, not wanting to spill and feeling terrible for it.

"_Wanna scream?" _Her face brightened hopefully in a bid to liven him up.

He'd screwed his face up good-naturedly, _"I really don't think that's gonna help this time."_

Suddenly she turned back, gazing far off over frothing waves ahead. _"You know what?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_It's embarrassing to say this myself, " _she said, with a demure smirk tugging at her face. _"…but summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practise smiling, when I'm feeling sad, you know." _She sobered suddenly somewhat, looking at him now understandingly, _"I know it's hard."_

"_Yeah, I understand, I think." _He'd replied, unsure.

She laughed then, beaming with sudden exuberance, _"Right, now let's see what you can do!"_

He remembered then how she'd turned the tables completely over with laughter; the best cure. In one small move, she alleviated his fear and condemned it to ridicule, without even knowing. Moments like this he'd taken for granted, so many moments. And words spoken to him then, refined in graceful tone, came floating back with renewed poignancy.

"_I want my journey to be full of laughter."_

Her eyes had met him then, steadfast and brave; knowing her fate, knowing that she was to die.

The memory ended, and he emerged back to reality. Red-hot guilt rose in him suddenly as Valefor disappeared in a sea of glittering stars back to whence it came; deep self-loathing. He'd said all that stuff about Zanarkand, and been so proud that it was his home, when all along she was going there to die. He hated himself.

Everything made sense now. All the heart-felt glances, the sorrowful goodbyes- she was on a journey never to return, and everybody knew, everybody but him. And, to make matters worse, they were all willing to sit back and allow it. Bubbling defiance simmered, boiling over sorrow. His desperation clung to his grief and combined. He sprang to his feet tenaciously. This was all wrong, and it had to stop… now.

"I can't let her die!" he spat wildly with fierce determination. "I'll find her!"

A low rumble shuddered from the back of the chamber in rejoinder. He swivelled rapidly and latched onto the opening door before them, previously concealed in the mesh of rolling cogs. Steam belched from its hinges as it swung to. Ear- engulfing sirens blasted out with it. Before anyone had chance to act, several Al Bhed dove into the sanctum beckoning Isaaru and Dona to follow with exuberant sign language. The summoners followed without question, taking Maroda and Pacce with them. Possessed, Tidus sprang into action, diving into hot pursuit, and leaving the others to chase him raggedly.

Beyond, he found a wide reaching staircase leading up before him to a strange white structure, seemingly alien as it nestled motionlessly in the of myriad of steel bars and chains that encompassed it. As he mounted the steps, Tidus felt the warmth emanate from them with dull vibration through the soles of his boots.

Voices reached him as he sped up the oncoming ramp into the dim innards of the pale container. Bright green strip lights pulsed, leading his way onwards into a wide dim room. In the very middle of which, a pedestal rose up housing an bizarre blue orb, that emitted a strange preternatural glow. Beyond that, the machina-adorned walls tapered to a blunt point which was made of sum sort of translucent fluid that ebbed and shimmered, looking very much akin to the entrance to the Farplane.

Shadows flitted before it, washed with the crimson beating from the frantic dials and screens either side of the room.

"Hu desa! Ku! Ku! Ku!" Cid growled loudly, bounding across the room, gluing his piercing gaze on a buzzing screen fixed in the wall.

Brother, Rikku's aptly named brother with flamboyant flame tattoos; their assailant from Macalania and the leader from the salvage ship all that time ago, was there also. "_Three_ _minute_ mavd!" He flapped his heavily adorned arms like an oversized turkey and sprinted about on the spot as if he didn't know what to do with his copious amount of energy.

"Rinno! Rinno!" Cid interjected, rattling buttons and knobs haphazardly and casting firing glance at another Al Bhed at the head of the room. "Oui ryja _one_ _minute_!"

Disregarding their display, Tidus raced over the threshold, "Where's Yuna?" he thundered angrily over the incessant hum now progressing all around them.

"Ajanoputo uh-puynt?" Cid continued, paying no more heed to Tidus than he would a sand fly.

"Ajanoputo ymeja-"

"I said, where is she?" The blitzer roared, positively seething. Like a wild beast provoked, he tore at Cid's broad shoulder, twisting him round roughly to meet him. "Answer me! Answer me, damn you!" Swiping Cid by the collar he hoisted him into the air furiously, his eyes crackling into molten balls of tempestuous rage.

The moment he did so, his fellow guardians meandered into the room with a collective gasp, and the enormity of what he was doing hit him like a brick wall. Violence had never been his thing--he'd never attack someone if they didn't deserve it, and here he was, for the second time, acting just like Jecht. He stared up into those wild olive eyes, now towering down over him, probing him with intent; looking very much like the vulture that attacked in the desert.

Cid raised an enquiring eyebrow, "What'll you do when you find her, huh?" He couldn't sound more unfazed by Tidus' aggression if he tried.

Instantly realising the jeopardy he'd thrust himself into, Tidus baulked awkwardly and lowered Cid back down to his feet with a clumsy thud. "I- I didn't know anything about what a summoner is supposed to do." He admitted, stammering to rattled despair, "-and I told her all those things without even knowing. I've gotta tell her! I've gotta tell her I'm sorry!"

Cid's oil-stained face contorted into a derisive sneer. "That's it? You're gonna tell her you're _sorry_? Then you just drag her to Zanarkand and make her fight Sin, huh?" His spiralled pupils seemed to twist with contempt. "You're all the same- Let the summoner die so we can all live in peace!" With alarming speed, he caught hold of the braces on Tidus' gear and hurled him clean across the room, putting the blitzer's lifting act to shame.

Tidus plummeted with a resounding crash, cracking his back on what seemed to be a large steering wheel at the head of the room. Dizzying from the collision, he sprang to his feet with fierce determination.

"No!" he argued vigorously, ignoring the pain now throbbing dutifully down his spine. "I'm not gonna let Yuna die!"

Cid scoffed with a cynical laugh, "Hah! Words! Show me action!"

"I'm telling you, she won't die!" Tidus bit back savagely, tossing caution to the wind.

The heated resolve in the blitzer's words seemed to sting his new adversary bitterly, and the Al Bhed's face stiffened like a mad dog. "Boy, don't you forget those words, 'cause if you do…" his voice darkened, prickling with hostility. "…I'm gonna make you regret it."

Tidus withstood the cracking of the Al Bhed's knuckles with fierce resolution. "I won't."

Cid's eyes narrowed momentarily, and Tidus braced himself for another charged attack. But to his surprise, Cid turned away with a purposeful grunt, gluing his menacing eyes back on the object he was so intently watching when Tidus first launched his assault.

The blitzer ventured a peek over the bulky Al Bhed's shoulder and was met with the same sphere he'd seen upon entering the room, looking very much like a giant crystal ball. Somehow, Tidus doubted that Cid would be interested in divination as he eyeballed the sphere intently.

Trapped within it, tiny tracks, blushing a vivid blue raced just below the surface. They twisted, undulating fluidly like helix-shaped serpents doted with tiny mauve speckles. Every so often smoky violet symbols materialized from the core, and trickled like water down the shimmering surface.

Cid goggled them with a face fit with befuddlement and scratched his head slothfully, yet again acting as if the summoner party weren't there. His face scrunched up tightly in sudden concentration with his tongue peeping out of the side of his mouth.

"So, do you know where she is?" Tidus asked hopefully, knocking Cid's attention askew once again.

The tongue snapped in and the thin line of his mouth hardened. "'Course not!" He snapped loudly, knitting his brows as if the answer was blindingly obvious. "That's why we're gonna look…. Using this _airship_!" his face relaxed with indulgent relish at the word.

Wakka's face blenched a deathly hue, his silence supplanted by horror. "A-Airship?" He spluttered, floundering frantically for the exit like a scalded cat.

But he'd missed his chance.

In a blinding flash, the room exploded with sudden light, exposing all that went unnoticed within. Now a machina-imbued room was the expansive bridge of an airship with buzzing controls and a cockpit adorned with red leather seats: Al Bhed emblems imprinted on every surface. Cid beamed with satanic glee.

He shot a colourful gesture to Brother, who snapped his goggles over his dark eyes and leapt into the driver's seat. A loud bang emitted as he manipulated the controls, sending the bridge into tremulous disarray. "Vydran! Nayto du ku!" He chirruped, swinging his flame-endowed arms haphazardly into the air.

Cid thrust his hands on his hips with a triumphant grin, "Yeeeehah!! 1000 years ujantia!!"

Wakka screamed clinging to the walls in terror as the floor vibrated with the unmistakable roar of engine fire. A great surge of power propelled them upwards, defying gravity and scattering the party gracelessly. The light of day exploded in above them, showering the ship with a titanic volume of sand as two giant trapdoors above peeled back, hissing thunderously. So terrific was the sandy weight pummelling them, Tidus feared that they'd tumble down with it as it cascaded heavily down the glittering windscreen. Wakka screamed again.

With an effort, the ship jarred, buckling as it ripped free from its hindering chains and shot up with frightening speed into the blinding light of day. The painful wreckage of Home came in view once more, bathed the cloak of carnage as they ascended. The flying fiends were still besieging the emaciated structure with an insatiable, voracious pleasure. Brother squealed, pumping giant levers and dials frantically; the blond shock of hair flapping mercilessly on the top of his shaved head in a panic. "Fruy! Ed sujac!"

"Necg pek! Feh pek!" Cid vociferated loudly.

Tidus gulped, fumbling onto the nearest thing he could manage… this looked too much like a test drive. With a terrific screech, Brother wrenched back on the controls. Cid screamed with laughter as they gathered speed, whipping high into the air effortlessly. The fiends assailing Home caught sight of them through rage-engorged eyes and beat their wings forth in hot pursuit, abandoning their enduring quarry. But their tatty-plumed limbs were no match for the newly-roused vessel as it soared through the blackened cloud cover with ease. Brother cackled like an old witch, squawking various retorts in Al Bhed as their rancid-feathered bodies transformed into mere specks on the horizon. He giggled, wriggling his goggles atop his head and kicked his feet up leisurely.

But the instigator of the revelry had other ideas.

Cid stomped his way toward the front of the ship and grunted something loudly in Al Bhed, causing Brother's goggles to fall askew as if he was caught unawares. He turned to meet his father with a contorted look of dismay and annoyance.

"Frydajan oui cyo…." he sighed heavily, slouching back into his seat, manoeuvring the ship lower and slowing it somewhat.

Then, to everyone's complete amazement, he began to sing. Cumbersome as it sounded, rolling from his awkward lips, the tune was unmistakable: the Hymn of the Fayth. Cid joined him shortly; neither of them were great singers, and to Tidus' ears it sounded as if Brother was loathe to sing in the first place. He stared at Rikku questioningly, why on earth would the Al Bhed sing a Yevon song?

But Rikku's small face was wrought with grief, her eyes would barely meet his.

"W-what's goin' on?" Wakka managed to babble amidst his disbelief.

Rikku cowered somewhat, not daring to lock eyes with aught but the floor. "We're- we're gonna blow up our Home."

"H-How?" Lulu gasped in horror as Cid viewed her, looking extraordinarily blasé.

"Using one of the forbidden machina!" He grinned proudly, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet, yet again savouring the fact he was committing a horrific blasphemy in their eyes. Without waiting for a further hindrance, he screamed, "Nayto?"

A great surge of energy awoke suddenly beneath their feet, groaning up through the steel-endowed panels. Cid turned back, setting his sights on Home as if for the last time. His gaze hardened, "VENA!"

The ship erupted in answer. Either side of the bridge, violet wing flaps, previously concealed, peeled back like two great jaws, salivating great clouds of dusty miasma. A myriad of crimson-streaked darts discharged wildly in their wake. Ferocious trails of smoke pursued them as they screamed toward their spent target, still in the midst of mutilation.

They made contact, uniting with a exultant boom, engulfing Home in a torrent of molten flame. Earth-shattering tremors followed, splitting the terrain asunder as the great swell commenced. Now the hunters became the hunted.

The air, swollen with the unsustainable pressure, transformed into a tremendous burning sphere, liquefying its surroundings and blasting up and out with supreme force. The unsurpassed energy chased them rabidly over the sands at break-neck speed, tinting their view with blinding vermillion. The ship struggled to break free as the vice-grip chains of turbulence battered them roughly. But it was not to be, as the full strength of their new vessel charged through like an angry bull, breaking the bonds to blue sky ahead.

A few moments seemed to pass in silence before Tidus was aware again. Stillness endured as the ship skimmed over the last of the sands, and sea met sky in one glittering vista of shimmering sapphire. Yet, as he gained his balance languidly, Tidus' ears were consumed with wild, roaring laughter. He was struck still with disbelief as the image of Cid met him, doubled over laughing like a mad-man, chuckling something mysterious Al Bhed. Brother, however, was the complete opposite and found no shame in bawling his eyes out loudly in full view of everyone.

"Hu haat vun daync!" Cid put forward heartily giving his son a manly punch in the arm. "Fryd ed kuut ypuid _machina_ ec drao lyh pa piemd yhaf, oui caa?"

Brother snivelled wetly, wiping his nose on his buckled cuffs and shot a red-rimmed glare at his father. He didn't seem at all enlivened by Cid's destructive nature or his hearty words.

Tidus surveyed his fellow guardians inquisitively for answers. Auron and Kimahri were the furthest from him, lingering near the violet emblazoned door by which they'd entered, both were stony-faced as ever. Lulu, on the other hand, seemed a little shaken, as did Wakka. Rikku was still frozen in the same spot as before, her now hardened eyes cast down. It seemed as though all the tears she had in her had already been shed.

The dull drones of the engines rang through once more, and Tidus watched with growing curiosity as Wakka ventured toward her nervously with a kind of imploring awkwardness shining through in the vigorous scratching of his stubbly chin.

"Hey, look, down get so down." He said, sympathy bleeding through. "_Boom_! Heh, heh!" he laughed suddenly, throwing his arms up dramatically in a crazy effort to spur her. "Like happy festival fireworks, ya?"

His dire attempt went down like a lead balloon as Rikku's eyes found him, twisted with a brave new anger. "You can cram your happy festival, you big _meanie_!" she struggled, marching off and leaving him standing there solidified, like he'd been kicked hard in the guts.

He slapped himself upside the head. "Why didn't I just shut my big mouth?" He grumbled disheartened as the small Al Bhed plonked herself down roughly in one of the leather seats near where Tidus was standing.

"I'm okay, I'm fine. Really," she mumbled, avoiding Tidus' gaze, focussing determinedly on the humming screen above her.

He could already sense a spark of her old self reigniting once more, her anger was always short-lived, as was her despair. That Spiran resilience was rearing up again.

"This is tough on all of us." Lulu interjected, endeavouring as always to keep the peace. But her marble-like complexion was drained with lingering fatigue. The stress imbued in her was plain to see, she was struggling and, uncharacteristically, finding it hard to keep it concealed.

Her carmine eyes, consistently sharp, dwindled sorrowfully and fell onto the Al Bhed leader, scanning him as longingly as Tidus now was. Cid in the meantime was patting his thick, worn fingers over the glistering surface of the central orb almost obsessively. Tidus' thirst and desperation for knowledge was too much to withhold, he just had to unshackle the tirade of burning questions within, without anger this time. There was one question, however, that stood out over all the others.

"Did you find out anything about Yuna?" He fiddled with his chain anxiously, running his fingers over the links, warmed by his flustered skin.

"I'm lookin' into it, _okay_?" Cid snapped with scathing ferocity.

Tidus recoiled in severe exasperation. He had no idea Cid was going to turn out to be so damned tetchy. They were all suffering in this together, it was like Lulu had just said. But then again, from what had happened already, it seemed that under the rugged shell, Yuna's uncle was desperately set on finding her safe. And for Tidus, that was all that mattered.

"Don't worry," Cid assured suddenly, observing the blitzer fold his arms tensely over his chest. "I'm using a sphere oscillo-finder. If she's out there, we'll find her."

"A sphere oscillo-finder?" Tidus echoed, not bothering to veil his scepticism. So, far the orb hadn't produced a single shred of information.

"It's an ancient machina." Cid explained impatiently, not breaking his engrossed glare. "I don't know how it works, either. So, don't ask me, _okay_?" He snapped once more not wishing to dilute his insane vehemence. With the ending of his words, he pushed his face even closer, squashing his nose against the glowering surface and looking more akin to a demon than ever before.

"And you still use it?" Lulu exclaimed, analysing the oscillo-finder somewhat distrustfully.

Cid broke free of his indulgent stare with a robust chuckle. "To be perfectly honest, I don't even rightly know how this rig flies, either!"

Tidus gawked and Wakka trembled in sudden terror.

"All 'cause of the Yevon taboo on machina, we're runnin' around in the _dark_ here!" Cid's rotund face creased into an elated leer. "'Ain't it a rush kiddos?"

The summoner party addressed him with stark objection: it sure wasn't.

The minutes were draining away quickly, and the atmosphere, thick with tension, muted their voices. Melancholia was slowly encompassing them in its dark shroud, as was the slow realisation that waiting was the only thing they could do.

Bereft, entombed in doubt and fraught with frustration, Tidus made for the door, echoing the movements that Kimahri and Auron had taken seconds earlier.

"Careful what you touch." Cid warned frankly to his back, not braking from his absorbed trance. "Ship's not as stable as she looks." He trailed off in to a heavy laugh.

A small gasp emitted from Rikku's direction and she swung round in her chair with a highlighted twinkle in her eyes, looking more like herself by the second. "Hey, you'll remember this ship, won't you?"

Tidus shrunk back in confusion.

"You remember-" she enthused now, jogging his memory with an entreating sheen on her small face. "It's the one we found under the sea!"

"Oh." he ventured, feigning surprise and recalling the deep salvage mission he underwent the first time he met her. "You guys did a pretty good job patching it up." he said, looking around leisurely, although his gaze was drawn to the door. "I'm gonna- You'll let me know if you find anything, won't you?" he corrected.

"Yeah," she sounded as if she were swarmed with sudden guilt as he wandered off briskly.

But not nearly as guilty as Tidus felt inside, he was sure. He felt the entire bridge lock onto him steadily as he deviated from their company, wondering if they were still the people he once thought he knew. The people he thought he could trust. They were changed, but still the same. Different in mood, but same in appearance. Maybe all that he knew about them wasn't real, that their personalities were as deceitful as the truth they'd kept hidden. That everything he'd learned about them was all just a smokescreen for them to hide their real selves. He wondered… did he know them at all?

A long corridor filled his tiring eyes as the door slipped shut behind him, he was still musing, still pining, still reeling in agonizing guilt. He'd been such a jerk, an ignorant one at that: at least that's what he kept telling himself.

The interior of the ship beyond was vastly decorated just like the bridge, with chrome-surfaced walls and light-lined pathways. Neon hues shone out from under foot and overhead; cerise and lime. All in all, Tidus likened it to being stuck in a gigantic can, daubed in effervescent light.

Wide, smooth doorways branched off either side of him, leading to all manor of rooms. His head for discovery was not screwed on, and judging from what he'd discovered inside most of them, his presence wasn't welcome.

Within all he'd come across, wounded Al Bhed had filled them. Men, women, and children alike: all suffering, all tortured over the destruction of their beloved Home. All they had was their lives now, and they had Cid to thank for that.

Tidus felt a new respect swell for their leader. In the time it had taken for Tidus to reach the summoner's sanctum, Cid had gathered all the live Al Bhed and piled them onto his airship. It was no mean feat, which wasn't surprising given what Cid was capable of. He really was a true leader, even if some of them didn't see it right at that moment.

Dawdling unconsciously, Tidus ambled on, sticking to the long winding corridor, not knowing where he'd end up. And not caring.

"Praise be to Yevon. You are safe." Isaaru's soft spoken voice alerted him suddenly, gaining his dwindling attention. "-But maybe not so well…" the summoner surmised thoughtfully, scanning the blitzer with concern.

For the first time, Tidus looked down to get a good look at himself and the surprising grade of his wounds startled him. Both of his knees were gouged open and clotting deeply, dried blood was smeared over both arms, and now that he came to think of it, his mouth stung in the left corner; it had split.

"Please, allow me to heal you." Isaaru ventured kindly, producing his staff of ornate silver.

The blitzer nodded, and in a matter of seconds, his body was tingling with the vibrant chords of the summoner's incantation. It didn't feel half as good as when Yuna healed him. Yuna.

Tidus fell back into raptures thinking of her, entwined with the aftertaste of sickening bile. She probably hated him, he admonished himself again. Slow words reached him, and realising he was being spoken to, he reluctantly surfaced back to reality.

"-we owe our lives to the Al Bhed." He caught the last of what Isaaru was claiming gravely, and watched as the summoner gazed with distended awe at the blonde stragglers that flitted past them every so often.

"How did you end up in the sanctum, anyway?" Tidus inquired, halting Isaaru's silent observance.

"The same way as the others." He replied simply. "We were tracked making our way to the temple in Besaid. The Al Bhed took Pacce, so we had to give up our weapons and do as they said." He motioned downwards at the mention of his younger brother and Tidus caught sight of Pacce's curled up form on the floor, blissfully unaware as he visited the land of nod. Beyond him Maroda, who was chatting energetically to a couple of Al Bhed that managed broken Spiran, spun round to greet him.

"Hey, man." he waved, taking his leave of his new companions and venturing over, the links of his crusader-like garb chinking as he did so.

"We needed to take a rest from the pilgrimage, anyway." He confirmed, picking up where Isaaru left off with a slight grin as he passed his eyes down to his little brother. "Pacce was getting pretty tired. He never should have come on the pilgrimage, little kid like that." He added, clouding over dolefully with a sad shake of his head.

"It was his choice." Isaaru argued calmly.

"Yeah, I know." Maroda sighed. "But, he does do pretty well for his size!" He reinstated, perking up somewhat. "He's gonna be something someday!"

Tidus smiled in spite of his dark mood, wishing he was as ignorant to the goings on of the world as little Pacce: it would be so much easier…

"Yet, despite this, our pilgrimage must continue." Isaaru interjected, as stalwart as ever, and reminding Tidus of Yuna once more with his sheer determination. "No matter how much the Al Bhed beg, I will not quit."

"Even though you'll die?" Tidus asked, broaching the subject with caution.

"I have known my fate ever since I was a child." Isaaru informed openly. "My will is set."

Tidus quelled slightly upon hearing his words, if Isaaru was this determined, Yuna would be worse. "But-"

"Understand." Isaaru put forwards, cutting over him gently. "If I do not do it someone else must."

Tidus nodded stiffly, he understood, but disagreed totally with the morality behind it. "I-"

"Hey, I know what you're getting at…" Maroda interrupted, cutting the blitzer short again. "I'm not looking forward to my brother dying when this is done. I don't agree with it, either, if you ask _my_ opinion." his cast his gaze to his elder brother tauntingly, making Tidus think this wasn't the first time the subject had come up between the two of them.

Isaaru sighed, with a casual laugh. "You always liked playing the rebel."

"Yeah, sure did… Hey, I still do!" his voice fell to a slow murmur as his elder brother stooped to pull Pacce's cloak back over his sleeping form. "If only there was some way of doing it without anyone dying…"

Tidus looked to him suddenly. This was the first time he'd been introduced to such a thought since hearing the tragic truth and the excitement it bore send quivers down his spine. But just when the light was beginning to glimmer at the long end of the tunnel, the blitzer was sent plummeting back down into the depths of despair.

"Too bad there isn't another way." Maroda put bluntly, folding his arms in unveiled vexation.

Fuelled by his fellow guardian's matching unease, another thunderbolt struck him. "Let's think of something together!" Tidus said hopefully, surely there was something that they could do.

"Easier said than done," Maroda began contemplatively, "Sure, if we had all the time in the world, we'd think of something. And then while we were thinking, Sin would kill us all. Spira doesn't have that sort of time. And, besides, you'd think someone would've thought of something in the past one thousand years…"

Crushed, Tidus huffed with displeasure. Maroda had obviously given it some serious thought. His hope was now teetering on a knife edge, clinging to the blade perilously with its last frayed string.

The ship jostled suddenly causing Isaaru to tremble awkwardly, stumbling backwards into the wall as if an invisible assailant had struck him.

"You alright?" Maroda quizzed, catching hold of his brother to steady him.

"Yes…" The summoner struggled, batting off Maroda's fussing hands. "It's just, being on this airship… I'm amazed it can fly, truly! I suppose it must be sacrilege to think so highly of a machina…" his musings were soon surpassed by a sudden tremulous nausea. "It makes me feel uneasy just being aboard it."

Maroda rolled his eyes.

"You sure it's not just motion sickness?" Tidus asked, trying a rational approach as opposed to a mere blasphemy occurring, and forgetting completely that he was in Spira.

"_Motion_ _sickness_?" Isaaru repeated, turning a sickly shade of green. "What infirmity is _that_?"

"Come on, bro!" Maroda whined, throwing his arm around Isaaru's back as if the summoner were about to swoon. "You're probably just felling peaky 'cause of the motion thingy Tidus mentioned. Remember how you used to get sick riding the shoopuf? It's nothing to do with this thing being a machina. Take Dona for instance, she's doing just fine!"

Tidus' stomach churned as Maroda passed a darkening look toward the set of double doors just before them, knowing what would arise of her mention….

Much to Tidus' displeasure the machina doors snapped open accordingly, and as if she'd answered to her name, Dona swaggered over to join them, partially clothed as ever. It was almost as if she'd been listening through walls to their discussion, a fact that Tidus found easy to believe.

"My, my, my. So, you're on here, too. Tracking the summoner, are you?" Yep, the attitude was back, as was the repulsive glare in her eyes. Tidus cringed internally as he passed under her dark, microscopic analysis. A confrontation with her was all he needed.

"Nice ship, even if it is a machina!" She sneered, thrusting her nose in the air.

Tidus caught Maroda rolling his eyes tiredly. He wondered how on earth they'd managed so long in the summoner's sanctum with her. From the looks on their faces, it seemed they'd been at their wits end.

"Hey!" she vociferated suddenly like a drill-sergeant, catching sight of Maroda's faux pas with her roving x-ray eyeballs. "I wouldn't put up with that kind of insolence from a guardian, if I were you!" she cried, prodding Isaaru in the chest with an accusing finger.

The summoner brushed her off with a polite, but awkward smile. "He means well."

"Hmph! You could do to get yourself a guardian with a bit more gusto! Take mine for instance-"

Maroda cut her short with a deriding laugh.

She bit back with wild malevolence smeared on her dagger-sharp face, turning suddenly to Tidus, who squirmed in upheaval. "Say, you haven't happened to chance upon Barthello on your travels, have you?" Her tone was intended to sound casual, but Tidus could sense the faintest glimmer of concern dripping through.

"Yeah, we saw him in the Macalania woods." He claimed, wondering whether Barthello was still bumbling through the trees like a great ape, driving all the wildlife crazy.

"Hmm," she mustered thoughtfully, placing a decisive hand on her chin. "That is good."

Tidus raised a questioning eyebrow, wondering what she'd surmised from the statement, but the answer would never reach him as she clawed her face veiling a dramatic yawn.

"Well, as you can see, I'm extraordinarily tired. And, a summoner must get her beauty sleep, as you well understand." she addressed Isaaru, who returned a courteous smile, ignoring the fact it was only early evening.

She made for the door, but turned back shortly thereafter, both hands placed stringently on her hips. "When you do find her, would you tell Yuna something for me? Tell her she still has a rival in this. _Me_! She'll have to do her best or be bested!"

Tidus shot her a deceitful nod as she slipped away, knowing he would never tell Yuna that in a million years.

The time passed slowly as he conversed with Maroda, learning all about how life was in Bevelle and about his strenuous training to become a guardian. It was arduous stuff, learning about all the sacred oaths and decrees that entailed a guardian's tuition. He was glad he didn't have to go through all that rigmarole, but then again he felt like he didn't deserve it, like he'd got the job on default. Yet, this was all superfluous detail for the real reason he was extending his conversation. Yuna was the main thought encroaching his mind, and in truth, over the past half hour or so, he'd hardly heard a word Maroda had said.

That was until a flash of scarlet met his gaze from afar, altering him suddenly from his drowsy state. Making some hasty excuse, he drifted off to find it, leaving a parting gift for Pacce: a silver badge from his blitz gear.

Tidus had hardly rounded the corner, before Auron had reeled him in for a lecture.

Dangling at the warrior's mercy, he listened half-heartedly as Auron off-loaded his chest. "-whether Yuna's safe of not, there's trouble brewing." He hinted gravely, rearranging his cloak so his right arm could hang loosely through the middle like in a sling.

The blitzer nodded stiffly, Auron was right as always. Trouble _was_ brewing. The Guado attack on the Al Bhed, the kidnapping of Yuna. It all lead back to Yevon, with their musty pages and hokey traditions.

"How are you feeling?"

Tidus looked up, surprised to hear such a consideration from such a person. It was the first time anyone had asked him, and it felt strange.

He reciprocated Auron's query with a quiet sigh, "I- I don't know," He said numbly, he felt as though the protective bubble encompassing him had literally burst. As if he was now exposed to the outside world for the first time with all it's harsh enmity. Auron shared his gaze as he leaned casually against the wall of the corridor, his staunch demeanour unrelenting.

To the Tidus' surprise, he found his tiresome feet had wandered full circle and dropped him off near the bridge once more, close by to the foot of a narrow staircase leading up to the next level. He looked back to the bridge, stealing a glance at Lulu and Wakka before the electronic doors swept shut to conceal them.

"Don't be too mad at them," Auron stated quickly, reading his mind as he shared the blitzer's view. "Their secrecy came with good reason."

"I know." Tidus replied with light exhalation, "well, at least, I think I know."

Auron regarded him shrewdly over the rim of his glasses. Tidus hated it when he did that, it meant he was going to come out with something momentous.

But the warrior remained silent, and cast his gaze down behind the dark glare of his shades.

"I just-" Tidus began, before realising. He ceased, feeling slightly abashed now Auron's penetrating gaze was back on him; reading him again like he always did. "I just can't believe they-"

"-Kept it from you for so long?"

Tidus nodded dully, but hastened to add, "Not just them though. You too, Auron." His blue eyes darkened unintentionally.

Auron stared as apathetic as ever, as if to say: 'no different than usual.'

"Put it this way," He started, as Tidus began to bristle. "Better you finding out now than at the beginning of the pilgrimage. You were vulnerable then. You knew nothing of Spira. You couldn't have nearly comprehended the importance of what we were trying to achieve. I needed you to remain as you were then, and from here onwards I need you as you are now. If was perfect timing in my opinion. You needed to wake up to the reality of what we are doing, the seriousness of the summoner's plight. And now that you've realised, I hope you'll be of more use to us…"

Tidus grunted, Auron was playing at riddles again, and he was not in the mood. He scowled harshly, absorbing the main point and discarding the minor details. "You think I've changed?" He quizzed bluntly. "well, yeah, I have actually. I feel like complete crap now, and an idiot! That's the only difference to before!"

Auron sighed jadedly and fell back into deep rumination, provoking Tidus' frustration further.

Sure, maybe Auron was right in a way. Maybe, the pilgrimage would've felt different if he'd known from the start. He thought back to what he was like at the very beginning. Sure, he'd acted like an ass at times, he'd admit that. He'd even admit that he'd been rash on more than one occasion. But that was no different to now, he figured. And besides, he and Auron had had this conversation before… Tidus narrowed his eyes, remembering their chat at Djose temple, when Auron had accused him of being emotional. The blitzer frowned, he'd brushed it off at the time, and been proved wrong, and _now_ Auron was saying he'd been vulnerable too. What the hell… vulnerable to what?

"For a second there, I thought you were going to deny it."

Tidus looked up at the warrior heavily.

"There is something, you know." he continued pensively. "It's the same thing that prevented Wakka and Lulu from telling you the truth. It's called love."

"And what would _you_ know about love, Auron?" Tidus spat fiercely, feeling deeply patronised.

The warrior regarded him with whimsical composure. "Apparently more than you."

He sauntered off through one of the side doors leading deeper into the ship leaving Tidus flushed and speechless.

He'd been ensnared in Auron's vicious trap and slapped hard in the face with the truth. He wondered, had everyone been as perceptive as Auron…? Or was it just the fact that he'd made it obvious…?

For what felt like the first time on the journey, the yearning to be alone was stronger than ever before. Of course he knew his thoughts would torture him to breaking point, but it was like he'd heard Lulu mention to Wakka earlier, "We're powerless as long as were on this ship." She was right. There was nothing any of them could do but hope and wait.

And that was the worst thing of all.

Tidus mounted the steel-plated staircase to the upper level with slow, arduous rhythm into the oval-shaped room above. The walls were completely comprised of glass, creating a perfect viewing room for watching the vast plains of Spira shoot by. Strangely this was the only place he'd encountered on the airship with a carpeted floor, coloured a deep red. Above him, vivid banners billowed like little sails down from the ceiling, giving the room as slight Lucan feel.

Several Al Bhed men were scattered here and there within, taking no heed of him as he entered. Their eyes were locked resolutely on the vista beyond, stark determination shining through. The Guado would pay for what they'd done, as would Yevon. Hundreds had died by their musty hands. Some Al Bhed had even given their lives to protect Yuna and the others. Tidus glanced over to his left, catching sight of a small child weeping quietly in the arms of a stranger: orphans had been born out of this. The Al Bhed deserved their revenge; Yevon would pay dearly for this.

Tidus continued on, selecting the furthest reaches of the room, away from anyone else. The timbre of another's footfalls trailed his, following him to where he settled in the far corner.

"Kimahri never forget the Al Bhed sacrifice."

It seemed as though he wasn't alone with his opinion. Tidus looked up to the towering ronso, it felt as though they now had an official bond. Kimahri studied the vast panoramic view that encompassed their tiny ship, the broad arms as always crossed firmly over his wide chest. For the first time, Tidus reckoned he caught a shred of emotion pass over his stoic friend as those feline eyes flickered to and fro over the horizon. It only took a moment for the blitzer to look away before the ronso was gone, in a shimmer of sapphire he'd vanished as softly as he'd appeared.

The sun was setting; brilliant red melting into exquisite pink, permeating delicately into the billowing cloud above. Tidus sighed, running his hand down the links of chain and twisting it over his fingers thoughtfully. This was the same sun that entertained his gaze on the Mi'ihen Highroad, reminding him again of the past. Reminding him of Yuna.

He leaned forward, digging his elbows into his knees, absorbing the dazzling sight that bathed him warmly. The melancholy sting was still there within, as was the excruciating longing. It almost felt as if nothing mattered anymore, not Sin, not anything… only Yuna. He recounted a dozen times in his head what he would say to her when he saw her again, but his mind was consumed wholly by the image of her face. Each delicate feature of her enchanting visage spattered every channel in his brain. Every inch of that captivating smile that he'd secretly indulged in watching, taken for granted.

He knew now why Jecht had changed. Auron, in his complete irritation of Jecht's behaviour, had told him the real goal of the pilgrimage earlier than intended. And, Jecht like his son, had realised the 'summoner's plight'. He couldn't just stand there and let Braska journey to his death…

It must've been hard, Tidus mused-getting all the way there- knowing and fighting all along the way, all to lose Braska at the end of it. For Tidus, this had only just started, and the feeling had settled now in the bottom of his stomach like an iron ball. Void of thinking, he reached down and fumbled in the side pocket of his shorts, producing an object he'd all but forgotten was there. He did something then, something he never thought he'd do again; he watched his father's sphere.

The seconds ticked by like minutes, as he sat there cross-legged staring at the sun-kissed horizon; Jecht's sphere now safely back in its hiding place. He stared widely as if his eyes could pierce the clouds like a radar and swoop down to find her. The situation was felt as if it was verging on bleak; hopelessness loomed. He reprimanded himself suddenly for thinking so, he'd dredge every inch of the earth before he gave up hope. He leaned back onto his outstretched arms: mind empty, numb. Eyes flickered shut and his ears latched onto the distant hum of the engines.

Strident voices buzzed over the constant drone, rising suddenly in heated antagonism. Tidus stole a glance down the wide stairs. The steely tones of Auron crept up to meet him, heightening the brewing suspicion within. He frowned, wrenching himself to his feet and making his way to forge a good vantage point of what was going on.

But at the head of the stairs he froze, the darkened glare of Auron repelled him. The door to the bridge had been flung wide open and Tidus could see the others flitting about somewhat uncomfortably within. Cid was marching about on the lower landing where Auron was leaning nonchalantly against the cold wall. "After rescuing Yuna, then what? You want to keep her safe, correct? Would you seek to stop her pilgrimage?" Nonchalant or not, the warrior's voice was a sharp as a razor.

Cid shrugged gruffly in defiance; Auron's venom merely bouncing off him. "Of course!" He barked loudly. "If she continues this fool pilgrimage, she will die. Sure as if you killed her yourself. No hare-brained law or teaching can send my little niece to her death! When I save her, I'll make her give up being a summoner quicker than a desert melts ice!" His voice rose lavishly with exultant surety, so that all within were aware. Especially Brother who was now nodding vigorously.

"Even against her will?" Auron cut in harshly.

"Better than a dog's death!" Cid remarked loudly, marching back into the bridge. "And I'll take down anyone who don't _agree_!" his virulent eyes scanned the room haughtily for disputers.

"You are the captain." Auron stated, coveting his place at the foot of the stairs once more.

"Good! So it's settled." Extremely pleased with himself, Cid busied himself with his globe again.

Tidus was struck dumb. Never had he seen Auron beaten in a battle of wills. As the door slid shut behind Cid's heels, Tidus padded down the steps to where Auron was still lingering.

"Let him say what he wants." He cut in reproachfully as Tidus inhaled to speak. "No matter what, Yuna will not quit her pilgrimage."

Tidus slouched knowingly, Auron was right. But he kept the fact that he agreed with Cid to himself for now. He knew from experience never to test Auron when he'd been riled. He'd sooner ride an over-excited chocobo.

Liking Cid more by the minute, he stepped over the threshold to the bridge, and was instantaneously engulfed in flashing red light. The deafening wailing of sirens followed. The oscillo-finder had detected something.

Accompanied by Auron, Tidus burst onto the bridge energetically, catching their companions looking as startled as if they just been awakened from sleep.

"Vydran!! Fa fuiht _Yuna_!!" Brother screamed over the tumult.

"Where is she?" Tidus blurted out loudly as Cid fought to calm the machina down. He succeeded eventually after trying every knob and dial in the room. And, doubling up as a sphere screen, a startling image materialized over the celestial surface of the windshield.

Tidus gawped, rooted and transfixed.

It was her; ethereal aura glowing from her skin as she traversed a long carmine walkway, surrounded by warrior monks. Her garb was white; a glittering dress of satin with a train of white chocobo feathers. The tiny bells in her hair tinkled as she proceeded, elegance incarnate.

Someone seized her arm suddenly and the fear in her eyes, although veiled, was plain for him to see. His blood boiled, observing for the first time the long, withered nails attached to that grappling hand. The limb's owner, clothed in the regal shroud of Yevon, looked up to the pulpit with contented evil. The sapphire in his extravagant hair shimmered brightly from under his sloping ceremonial cap.

Seymour.

To be continued…..

_AN: Well, hope you liked it! I know, I know… when I first wedged it all together only two words came to mind… long and winded. But, somehow I felt that the other characters, i.e. Isaaru, hadn't been included enough in the way I've written so far. It seemed as though the summoner party were just springing from one place to another without actually living the pilgrimage. This experience is affecting all of them in different ways, and I needed to put a different slant on things- namely the opinion of Isaaru on the pilgrimage and his own personal sacrifice. Also with the complete absence of Yuna, I thought would add to the seriousness of the matter at hand. _

_From hereon in the game I think the peril of the main characters is significantly heightened. I remember when I always got to this point in the game and started to rush-- out of excitement or what, I don't know!_

_There is just one thing I need to ask before I quit blabbing!!_

_Has anyone else played ffvii crisis core on the psp? I just finished it the other night, and although I knew what was going to happen at the end (don't we all) I found it twice as horrificL Jeez, I was so disturbed and enthralled by the beauty an sorrow all at once. I'm loving Cloud all over again! Somehow when I originally played ff7 I hated Aerith and Zack… no idea why…_

_I promise that's the end of my chatting now, it's late and I've got a manga recon to sort out tomorrow! Yikes! Hope the crazy guy with the red hair and the massive gourd on his back doesn't show up again!!_

_Will update as soon as I can!! _


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